Mr Martin Gilbert is a director of a number of investment trusts, Chairman of FirstGroup Plc and a Non-Executive Director of British Sky Broadcasting Group Plc. He is Adjunct Professor of Finance at Imperial College Business School and a member of the Scottish Government's Financial Services Advisory Board, the EFAMA President's Advisory Council and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.

In December 2008, Mr Gilbert was named European Personality of the Year at the Funds Europe Awards. In 2009, he was named Ernst & Young Overall Scotland Entrepreneur Of The Year. In 2011, he was named Scotland PLC CEO of the Year at the Business Insider/PWC Scotland PLC Awards.

Mr Gilbert became a Patron of The Aberdeen Law Project in 2010. He commented at the time,

"As a graduate of The University of Aberdeen Law School, and a businessman based within the Granite City, I am aware of the access to justice problems that exist in the North-East.

"The Aberdeen Law Project, aiming as it does to assist in tackling this problem, is an extremely admirable venture, which is all of the more impressive given that it is founded and run by students.

"I decided to accept Mr Whelan's invitation to become a Patron of The Aberdeen Law Project because I was thoroughly impressed by the ambition, organisation and determination that these students have shown in creating such a resource for the North-East of Scotland.

"Their early achievements are impressive, but I have no doubt that this Project will have many more successes in the years ahead - I am delighted to act as a patron for this organisation."