EF News
We’re excited to bring you Talking Future, a new podcast by the Entrepreneurs’ Forum which focuses on the lives and work of North East entrepreneurs, their views of the future and how they are innovating as they plan ahead.
In our first episode, Forum board member Yvonne Bell speaks to Dan Martin, CEO of Elmtronics and Hubsta, about the future of electric vehicles, EV charging and the automotive industry.
About Dan Martin
Having established his own electrical contracting firm, Dan Martin wanted to diversify and though solar energy was a big thing at the time he didn’t want to go down the same route as everyone else.
It was about that time that he came across an article on electric vehicles and wondered how they charge. This proved to be the inspiration behind the business and the eureka moment.
That was 2014 and today Elmtronics is the UK’s largest independent supplier and installer of electric car charging points, employing 28 people nationwide and with a forecasted turnover of £3m for this year.
About Yvonne Bell
Yvonne Bell comes from a background in transport, where the Bell family company spans 4 generations.
During her career, Yvonne spent most of her time in the Mercedes Truck, Van and Car franchises, mainly heading up the marketing function and generally steering the company through the growth that, by the time it was sold in 2017, meant it covered the North East Region from Teesside up to North Northumberland with a staff of almost 200.
Outside of business, she has always been keen to get involved in other things such as community and Hospital radio presenting, local magazine editing, audio editing for a local historical Trust and being instrumental in the setting up a local gym specifically for wheelchair users.
As a long-time member of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum, she was pleased to be asked to take a seat on the board a few years ago where she is able to offer her own business experience to other members.
Talking Future is available on Spotify, Anchor and YouTube. With a new episode released every 3 weeks, if you like what you hear, help us spread the word by subscribing and sharing!
