Then and now... Martin Preen

In the latest instalment of Bdaily’s Then and now series, Martin Preen, chief executive at home interiors accessories firm Buster + Punch, reflects on his career, from his first role to the present day, highlighting the lessons he has learned from his personal and professional evolution.

You are chief executive at Buster + Punch. What does your role entail?

It’s primarily about predicting the future, having a very big shovel, juggling as if you have ten pairs of hands and possessing the superpower of herding cats.

Billy Bob Thornton says in Landman that ‘our business is one of constant crisis interrupted by brief periods of intense success’.

My role is to try to guide constant success while managing brief periods of crisis!

Did you always want to work in this sector? Or did you have other ambitions when you were growing up?

Is it bad to say that even 15 years ago, I would never, in a million years, have imagined being in this industry?

I’ve just turned 60 and have worked across many sectors, qualifying as a chartered accountant, running operations at an investment bank, buying a manufacturer of unsexy lifting equipment, founding and listing a software business, developing a recycling compactor for the home and designing the digital blueprint for banking the unbanked in Africa, before arriving at Buster and Punch.

What I’ve learned is that whatever the industry, the challenges are remarkably similar.

People just give them different names.

Ultimately, it all comes down to your team rolling up their sleeves and making things happen.

What was your first job – and did you enjoy it?

I bucket my first job into my experiences between the ages of 12 and 16, when I discovered the real value and freedom that cash brings as an enthusiastic teenager.

This started with loading 12” by 12” timbers onto an unguarded band saw, cleaning industrial ovens in Clacton-on-Sea hotels with skin-erasing chemicals and scraping plates at Butlins on three shifts a day.

Those are the jobs that teach you the most for years to come.

Were there any mentors or individuals that helped shape your career? And are you still applying lessons you learned then to your workforce of today?

I’m very fortunate to have met several people who have shaped my career.

From the age of 16, I remember a friend’s dad (the wealthiest person I knew) telling me I should do everything to get a profession.

I also remember my investment bank boss Barry Lewis, who taught me to ask the dumb questions (but not too dumb!) and to think in pictures, which I still do today.

What attracted you to the design, manufacturing and luxury interiors sector – and to Buster + Punch specifically?

I stepped on the Buster + Punch bus when it was in its infancy.

I loved the passion of Massimo and Iain, and I thought the craftsmanship and quality of the products were brilliant.

The brand had huge potential, and it felt like a fun journey with fun people.

How do you feel you’ve changed as a person over the years? Have career roles brought new dimensions to your personality?

Different roles have forced me to adapt to very different audiences, from auditing future brokers to employing welders in Lincolnshire supporting young families.

In a start-up, you do everything.

As a business grows, you bring in people who are better than you at individual roles, and you have to let them flourish.

I’m far more measured than I used to be, and I try to spend more of my time mentoring the team so they can excel.

You’ve seen many changes to the employment world across your career – how do you see the workplace evolving in years to come?

As Jeremy Irons said in the film Margin Call, ‘I’m here to guess what the music might do a week, a month, a year from now. That’s it. Nothing more’.

Predicting the future now feels far more complex, particularly in the context of uncertain political landscapes, global economic pressures and rapid technological change.

What I do know is that while you can plan, mitigate risk and adjust course, success ultimately comes down to continuing to excite customers, investing in our people, innovating, creating extraordinary products, delivering outstanding service and making memories along the way.

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