Martin Hoffen

Martin describes his role as being that of “someone who transfers knowledge, experience, enthusiasm and inspiration towards operations management subjects.” He loves teaching, where his inexhaustible supply of case study material, derived from his long career in top-flight international consultancy organizations, enlivens his interactions with students.

Martin's career falls into three phases, the first of which was in industrial management. With a serious technology degree in Mechanical Engineering and Production Technology & Management from Brunel University, for which he was sponsored by Rolls Royce aero engines, Martin began this phase with three years in production management at Rolls Royce. Here he received “a fantastic training”. He experienced a huge change of management style with a move to Lancer Boss, where he learnt about “management at the really sharp end,” and somehow found the time to take a 3 year part-time Diploma in Management Studies. He then worked as production and materials manager for diesel engine manufacturer RA Lister in Swindon. After a brief period running the logistical side of a financial services company, Martin then moved into the second phase of his career as a management consultant. As a senior or principal consultant at WS Atkins, then at Price Waterhouse and finally at PA Consulting, Martin worked on 130 consultancy projects all over the world. It is mainly this knowledge and experience that he draws on for his current teaching role. Asked to name his proudest achievements, Martin suggests his work for HMC, a huge heavy engineering conglomerate in Pakistan, a year long project that focused on working to improve the quality of internal practices and procedures led to a turnaround from massive losses to high profitability. Closer to home, another year-long business process re-engineering project in Manchester for Sutcliffe Speakman involved the complete re-structuring of a loss-making business. Martin's work for British Aerospace resulted in a reduction in the lead time taken to build an aircraft from three to one year, while a similar project for Vickers saw a massive reduction in that company's overheads.

But for the recession in the early 1990's, Martin might have stayed in consultancy, though he was beginning to tire of the relentless travelling and absences from his family. When his own firm was re-structured, Martin moved to set up his own consulting business and began to teach part-time at the University of Westminster – and found that he loved it. Thus began the third phase of his working life.

Martin moved to Oxford Brookes as a half-time lecturer in 1994 and joined the Business School staff full time in 1995. He has remained there until he retired in 2010. Although he still does some informal consultancy work for a few old clients, teaching, inspired by his working experience in industry, is now his main focus. Outside work, Martin is a keen amateur artist, plays the organ in his local church and is an active skier and fell walker.

Area of expertise Operations Management

Project Management

Supply Chain and Logistics

Business turnaround / improving effectiveness & efficiency