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Neil Stuart Martin

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Neil Stuart Martin
CBE
BornAugust 1978 (age 48)
Essex, United Kingdom
OccupationChief Executive of Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade

Neil Stuart Martin CBE (born August 1978)[1] is a British Jewish community leader and youth charity executive. He has been Chief Executive of the Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade (JLGB) since 2005, and is Chair of Yom HaShoah UK and the Interfaith Youth Trust.[2]

He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2016 for services to young people and interfaith relations, and was subsequently elevated to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2026 New Year Honours for national services to young people, interfaith relations and Holocaust remembrance.[2][3]

Early life and education

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Martin was raised in Gants Hill, Essex. He attended Ilford Jewish Primary School and Beis Shammai Grammar School. At university he achieved a BSc and MA in Software, Arts and Media.[4][5]

Before his OBE, Martin was recognised in May 2015 as number three on the Jewish News *Forty Under 40* list of young leaders contributing to British Jewish communal life.[6]

Career

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Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade

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Martin was appointed Chief Executive of the Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade (JLGB) in April 2005.[7] During his tenure, he has overseen the charity’s development into a national provider of culturally sensitive youth provision, expanding access to volunteering, leadership and skills programmes for young people from minority and faith communities.[4]

In 2020, as part of JLGB's 125th anniversary, Martin secured royal patronage for the organisation from Charles, then Prince of Wales, marking a significant milestone in the charity's national profile and civic recognition.[8]

Following his accession to the throne, King Charles III reaffirmed his patronage of JLGB as part of his announced continuation of selected charitable affiliations.[9]

Under Martin's leadership, JLGB expanded their adapted Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programmes to ensure kosher and Sabbath-compliant expeditions, and established partnerships with national youth organisations including the #iwill Campaign and the Youth United Foundation.[5][10][11][12]

Awards and Recognition

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In 2013, JLGB received the Civil Society Charity Award in the Children and Youth category for its interfaith National Citizen Service provision.[13] JLGB's Interfaith National Citizen Service programme was independently evaluated by youth sector researcher Maxine Green, whose 2013 report highlighted its effectiveness in delivering inclusive, faith-sensitive youth engagement and social action outcomes.[14]

In 2022, during Martin's tenure, JLGB was one of 20 organisations nationally to receive the special Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Volunteering Award, a one-off addition to the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service recognising charities that empower young people across the UK.[15] A reception for the awardees, attended by HRH The Princess Royal, highlighted the exceptional work of national charities supporting young people aged 16–25.[16]

COVID-19 response

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, Martin created JLGB Virtual, a daily digital youth platform launched in March 2020 to provide continuity of youth engagement during the national lockdown. The programme ran for nearly two years and was delivered entirely online via live broadcasts and interactive sessions.[17][18]

Each evening, young people hosted activities and interviewed a guest drawn from public life, entertainment, politics and the community sector. Guests included Ashley James, Wes Streeting, Lord Robert Winston, Ben Winston, Craig David, Rachel Riley, Brent Spiner, Bob Saget, Alan Menken, Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest, whose great-grandfather, Colonel Albert E. W. Goldsmid MVO, founded the Jewish Lads' Brigade in 1895.[19][20][21]

Across its run, JLGB Virtual featured more than 150 guests and attracted an audience reported to exceed three million views.[22][23]

Yom HaShoah UK

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Since 2011, Martin has been Chair of Yom HaShoah UK, the umbrella body coordinating Holocaust remembrance across the United Kingdom for the UK Jewish community.[4] He has overseen large-scale national commemorations, including civic ceremonies and digital remembrance initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic.[24]

In May 2016, Martin organised the national Yom HaShoah commemorative event at Barnet Copthall Stadium, which was attended by several thousand members of the Jewish community, including more than 150 Holocaust survivors.[25][26] The gathering, reported to be the largest ever UK Holocaust remembrance event at that time with around 5,000 attendees, was chosen by the newly elected Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, as his first public engagement in office.[27][28]

In April 2025, he produced the UK’s national 80th anniversary commemoration of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen by the British Armed Forces, held in Victoria Tower Gardens, London, adjacent to Parliament.[4]

Interfaith and civic roles

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Martin is Chair of the Interfaith Youth Trust, which provides grant funding to grassroots interfaith youth projects across the United Kingdom.[4] He is also a trustee of the Youth United Foundation[1] and formerly was a trustee of the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS).[29]

Honours

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Commander of the Order of the British Empire (2026)[2]

Officer of the Order of the British Empire (2016)[3]

Personal interests

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Martin has spoken publicly about the influence of popular culture on his leadership outlook, including the work of Jim Henson and franchises such as The Muppets and Transformers: Generation 1, which he has cited as formative in shaping ideas of leadership, resilience and imagination.[30]

References

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  1. 1 2 "Neil Stuart MARTIN personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Riley, Sam (29 December 2025). "Woodford youth charity leader made CBE in New Year Honours". Guardian Series. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  3. 1 2 Frazer, Jenni (29 December 2025). "Belsen liberators, Spurs former owner and Matt Lucas among those awarded New Year Honours". Jewish News. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "JLGB Chief Executive Neil Martin appointed CBE in New Year Honours List". 29 December 2025. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Essex Jewish News Rosh Hashanah 2025". 16 September 2025.
  6. ↑ "FORTY UNDER 40: It's time to meet our amazing TOP 10!". Jewish News. 7 May 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  7. ↑ "JEWISH LADS' & GIRLS' BRIGADE people - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  8. ↑ "The Prince of Wales becomes patron of Jewish youth organisation - Royal Central". 16 September 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  9. ↑ "King Charles becomes royal patron of the UK Jewish community's oldest charity". Jewish Chronicle. 9 May 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  10. ↑ "Youth Social Action: JLGB Celebrates 10 Years of the #Will Campaign". Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  11. ↑ "Charles III is the King of hearts". 16 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  12. ↑ "JLGB at the heart of new campaign launched by HRB the Prince of Wales".
  13. ↑ "JLGB wins Charity Awards 2013". Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  14. ↑ Green, Maxine (2013). "Independent Evaluation of the JLGB Interfaith National Citizen Service Programme". Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  15. ↑ "Winners of the special Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Volunteering Award announced". Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  16. ↑ "Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Volunteering Award – Reception with HRH The Princess Royal". The King’s Award for Voluntary Service/DCMS. 8 December 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  17. ↑ "JLGB Virtual". Jewish Lads’ and Girls’ Brigade. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  18. ↑ "Jewish youth group, whose lockdown videos reached 1.8m, is finalist for award". 25 November 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  19. ↑ "Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest to appear on JLGB Virtual next week". 29 January 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  20. ↑ "Star Trek's Brent Spiner speaks to Jewish Lads & Girls Brigade about his character's impact on the autistic community". 13 August 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  21. ↑ Shahid, Sharnaz (30 June 2020). "Rachel Riley confirms exciting news after celebrating milestone with Pasha Kovalev". Hello!.
  22. ↑ "David Walliams and composer Alan Menken to appear on JLGB Virtual - Jewish News". 12 March 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  23. ↑ "Virtual Activity Groups".
  24. ↑ Harpin, Lee (5 May 2024). "'We come together this evening as proud Jews to remember the Shoah'". Jewish News. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  25. ↑ "London's new mayor makes Holocaust memorial his first official function". The Times of Israel. 8 May 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  26. ↑ "Sadiq Khan chooses Holocaust commemoration for first public event as mayor". ITV News. 8 May 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  27. ↑ Oster, Marcy (8 May 2016). "London's Muslim Mayor Attends Yom HaShoah Commemoration". The Forward. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  28. ↑ Cohen, Justin (13 June 2016). "Sadiq Khan 'thrilled' at Queen's honour for young community leader". Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  29. ↑ "Neil Stuart MARTIN personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  30. ↑ Martin, Neil (6 February 2017). "My week with Prince Charles". Jewish News. Retrieved 23 September 2026.


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