Martin E. Franklin (born October 31, 1964) is a British-born, New York-based business executive. He is the co-founder of Jarden. He served as its Chairman and Chief Executive from 2001 to 2011. Since 2011, he has served as its Executive Chairman.

Martin E. Franklin was born on October 31, 1964 in London, England. His father, Sir Roland Franklin, was a merchant banker who undertook hostile takeovers with Sir James Goldsmith. Franklin emigrated to the United States with his family at the age of fifteen, settling in Harrison, New York.

Franklin graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a bachelor of arts degree in political science.

Franklin worked for N M Rothschild & Sons in Manhattan.At the age of twenty-four, Franklin was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Dickinson Robinson Group, where his father asked him to sell their products off one by one.

Franklin acquired Benson Eyecare with Ian Ashken from the pension fund of General Electric for US$2.3 million in the 1990s.They took it public on the New York Stock Exchange, and Franklin served as its Chief Executive Officer. He was the youngest CEO of a corporation listed on the NYSE. They sold the company to Essilor for US$300 million in 1996.

Franklin attempted to acquired the Alltristra Corporation with Ian Ashken in 2000. When their bid failed, they became activist boards members. By 2001, Franklin became its Chief Executive Officer while Ashken because its Chief Financial Officer. Meanwhile, the two men renamed it the Jarden Corporation. Franklin served as its Chairman and Chief Executive from 2001 to 2011. Since 2011, he has served as its Executive Chairman.

As Executive Chairman of Jarden, Franklin earned US$44 million in 2013.The following year, in 2014, he earned US$118 million, US$110.8 million of which was in shares, with a salary of US$2.2 million. He earned US$231 million in total from 2010 through 2014.

With Bill Ackman and Nicolas Berggruen, Franklin co-founded Justice Holdings, a shell company on the London Stock Exchange which invested in Burger King. Franklin owned 2% in 2012. As of 2015, Franklin serves on the Board of Directors of Restaurant Brands International, which owns Burger King and Tim Hortons.

Franklin founded the Platform Specialty Products Corporation with financial backing from Bill Ackman in 2013. In July 2015, he acquired Alent through a merger with the Platform Specialty Products Corporation.

Franklin co-founded Platform Acquisition Holdings, a shelf corporation listed on the London Stock Exchange, with Nicolas Berggruen in 2013. They acquired MacDermid, a chemical company, for US$1.8 billion in October 2013.

Franklin co-founded Nomad Foods, a frozen food company which sells products under the Birds Eye and Findus brands, with Noam Gottesman in 2014. In April 2015, they acquired Iglo.

Franklin was named Antigua and Barbuda's Special Economic Envoy in January 2015.

Franklin was worth an estimated GBP£280 million in 2014. By 2015, he was worth an estimated GBP£357 million.

Franklin has completed in Ironman Triathlons to raise funds for the Harrison Jewish Community Center in Harrison, New York.

With his wife Julie, he has three sons. They reside in Harrison, New York. They own another residence in Aspen, Colorado, and they lived there in 2006-2007.

Franklin is an avid skiier. Additionally, he competes in ultramarathons. In a 2010 interview in the Financial Times, he revealed, "I have my best ideas on a bicycle, or running over a mountain."

Source: Wikipedia