In addition to being a senior fellow with the Center, he is also a member of MasterCard’s MENA & Africa Knowledge Fora providing strategic advice to the management of MasterCard in the Middle East & African regions.

Martyn was selected in 2010 as a Young Global Leader, an honour bestowed by the World Economic Forum each year to recognise the most distinguished young leaders nominated below the age of 40 from around the world. He is a recipient of a Dangote Fellowship awarded by the WEF for young Africans selected each year for their outstanding leadership, professional accomplishments and commitment to society.

Martyn completed his PhD at the University of the Witwatersrand at the age of 25, has studied at Yonsei University (Seoul) and has completed executive programs at Harvard Business School,  Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, the Jackson Institute for International Affairs at Yale University and Said Business School at Oxford University. Martyn has delivered lectures by invitation at Harvard University, MIT, London School of Economics, Oxford University, IE Business School, Peking University, the African Development Bank, the OECD, the European Commission, the Royal African Society, and the World Bank.

He is a Visiting Professor at IE Business School, Madrid, Spain. He is an avid reader and is an active sports fan and participant. He has been awarded Protea Colours for cycling for South African Universities and has placed in the top 10 in the Argus, 94.7 and South African National Road Race Championship Cycle Races – the most notable cycles races in South Africa – over the past two years.

He is married to Suheima and is the proud dad of Mikha and Zarah.