Representative Deputy Lieutenant for Barking & Dagenham

 Prof Martin Griffiths CBE DL

Appointed Rep DL: 2026

Born in South-east London to Jamaican parents, Martin is a consultant vascular and trauma surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust where he is the Lead for Trauma Surgery, Educational Lead for Surgery, and the Trauma Network lead for violence reduction. He had the privilege of training at the Medical School of St Bartholomew’s Hospital where he graduated with a distinction in Surgery and has lived and worked in London most of his life. He teaches undergraduate medical students at Barts, as well as Brighton & Sussex Medical School, and is part of the teaching faculty of numerous courses at the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Martin has an active interest in humanitarian work and is a member of the community of practice of UK-Med, an NGO that deploys to sudden onset disasters worldwide. He has been a passionate advocate of diversity and equality, working in the community to promote fairness for over 15 years. He was recently appointed as the first ambassador to the Mary Seacole Trust, a charity that celebrates the life and achievements of Mary Seacole, a Jamaican born nurse who treated troops in the Crimean war, promoting her as a role model, tackling social challenges and inequality with a focus on youth engagement and the promotion of good citizenship.

He is a patron of St Giles Trust, a charity helping people facing severe disadvantage to find jobs, homes and the right support they need. Additionally, he has been working with schools for 20 years to reduce gun and knife violence and was recently appointed to the Violent Crime Prevention Board, under the leadership of Dr Neville Lawrence. The Board seeks to challenge the attitudes around interpersonal injury in London.

Further information about the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham can be found at http://www.lbbd.gov.uk/