MARTINE COTTER FCMI - FOUNDER & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

Martine is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and an award-winning strategic leader with over 15 years’ experience in the field of domestic abuse and sexual violence.

As a former Chief Executive of a registered charity, Martine was instrumental in setting up the first voluntary-led Sexual Assault Referral Centre in England, which was recognised as a national beacon of best practice. 

Shortly after, Martine was invited to join the Home Office and Department of Health’s National Support Team for the Response to Sexual Violence and was tasked with supporting the third sector's response to sexual violence across the UK. 

Martine set up her own consultancy business in 2011 working with local authorities to undertake strategic reviews of service pathways, working predominantly across Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Following the introduction of mandatory Domestic Homicide Reviews by the Secretary Of State in 2011, Martine was also invited to become an accredited Independent Chair for Domestic Homicide Reviews within the first cohort of Home Office qualified Chairs.  To date she has chaired and published four Domestic Homicide Reviews.  

Martine is a qualified trainer and has written and delivered innovative typology training to over 5000 front-line professionals working with victims and perpetrators of domestic violence.

Her fresh and original approach to domestic violence has changed the way professional teams respond to inter-personal violence across the West Country with a great many families safer today as a result. 

Martine is an avid bargain-hunter and loves nothing more than a good vintage fair, auction or carboot sale.  She is constantly adding splashes of colour and character to the home she shares with her long-suffering DIY husband, two children and beloved cockapoo, Buddy.

Martine juggles her work and crazy creative projects with home educating her eldest child, who was removed from mainstream education aged 15 years old.  Together they proactively follow the Porcupine principles and are working towards an action plan that will deliver a bright and exciting future aligned to her daughter's unique talents.

Martine dreams of owning a converted motorhome and travelling the globe (again), learning and creating as she goes. 

 
For the above reasons, the Porcupine Collective believes Martine is the perfect person to engage and influence stakeholders to create opportunities for young people who might otherwise be overlooked.  We trust that she has the skills and mindset to embed the ethos of strengths-science and positive psychology into every aspect of the Porcupine Collective's activities - or she'll die trying!