About Craig Martin
Four decades inside the moments that define a business.
Craig Martin is the founder and CEO of Martin Growth Leaders. He advises founders, owners, CEOs, and investors at the moments that define a business: rapid growth, preparation for exit or succession, and the arrival of new ownership. His focus is the leadership team itself, and whether it is aligned, committed, and capable of executing what the business needs next.
Craig began his career in advertising at Chiat/Day, where he worked on the launch of the Apple Macintosh, and then at SSC&B Lintas and at Grey Advertising, where he rose to vice president and management supervisor. He then spent 1994 to 2001 at Charles Schwab & Co. as a vice president inside the firm’s RIA and 401(k) businesses, working closely with founder Chuck Schwab and Walt Bettinger, who later became Schwab’s CEO.
In 2002, Craig founded the firm that is now Martin Growth Leaders. Over 25 years he has advised leadership teams ranging from privately held partnerships to Fortune 500 companies, including Apple, Intel, Qualcomm, Genentech, Roche, Salesforce, DoorDash, Equinix, SAP, and Marriott. He has worked with engineering leaders across Silicon Valley for more than 20 years, including semiconductor companies from Marvell, Altera, and Texas Instruments to early-stage startups. His deepest industry expertise is in technology, life sciences and healthcare, financial services (especially wealth and asset management), and professional services firms.
Craig is the creator of Aligned to Execute™, Martin Growth Leaders’ system for aligning a leadership team around a shared North Star, a decisive commitment, a common identity, and a story the whole organization can act on. He is also co-founder, with former Cal quarterback Mike Pawlawski, of Pawlawski Martin Leadership, and Mike serves on the Martin Growth Leaders team of advisors and consultants.
Craig holds the International Coaching Federation’s Master Certified Coach credential, its highest, and is certified to administer and debrief Hogan assessments. He is a long-time Vistage member and an Eagle Scout. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and a third-generation Golden Bear, he volunteers as a Leadership and Career Advisor for Cal Student-Athlete Development. He divides his time between the San Francisco Bay Area and Knights Valley, north of Calistoga.