Voices of TBAuctions: From a gap in the market to a global mission 

Welcome to Voices of TBAuctions, an interview series spotlighting the people behind Europe’s leading multi-brand B2B digital auction platform. Through candid conversations with our leaders and team members, we explore who they are, their experiences, insights, and the passion that drives our success.  

We are excited to highlight Markus Grad, the Founder & CEO of British Medical Auctions & France Médical Encherès, brands part of TBAuctions since 2022. You can watch the video above or, if you prefer, read the full interview below!  

Describe a day in the life of your role.  

The day starts early. Up in the morning and usually in the gym with my personal trainer. Been with him for about 15 years. Used to box every morning, but a concussion stopped that about four years ago.   

Then straight into the office. It usually starts with a morning meeting with Matt, my managing director, where we discuss operations, finance, sales and marketing – I handle the sales and marketing side and Matt handles the finance and operational side of the business.  

We then go through the day and discuss the auctions that are happening that week and the auctions that are typically happening that day.   

We then interact with the team, dealing with the finance operations team, the warehouse team, any customers that come in… We have a very busy warehouse. Most of the customers come in during the day, so we’ll be interacting with them.   

We discuss our marketing strategy, also for the week. And we do that on a daily basis. The day usually ends around 6:00, 6:30, when I go home and see my children, my dogs, and my wife.  

What inspired you to start BMA, and how did the journey begin?  

This journey began about ten and a half years ago when I set up British Medical Auctions. I’ve been in the market for surplus used medical equipment for about 27 years and I saw that there was a gap in the market. It was a very fragmented market and I wanted to add value to both the public and private sectors in the UK.  

What do you enjoy most about working at BMA?  

BMA has become an extended family to me. Many of the guys and girls who’ve worked with me for the last ten years have been here for most of that time. Very few people leave, which I think is a testament to the whole team, and I enjoy the camaraderie of the whole team, the working environment… Every day is very, very different.  

We all work together as a team, from the driver, to the forklift operator, to the warehouse guys, to packing, to the operations manager, to finance, to marketing and sales. We all work very closely together. Everybody knows what’s going on hour by hour. And I think that’s what I like about being part of the BMA team.  

What impact do you aspire to create with BMA?  

BMA as an auctioneer is very niche. We sell medical equipment and I think for us it’s both about adding value, investing back into the public sector and part of the healthcare industry within the UK and Europe, but also supplying emerging markets with healthcare products that they wouldn’t normally be able to afford. And I think for us that’s sustainability and a circular economy. It’s extremely important on a day-to-day basis that we’re able to do that.  

We see a lot of customers coming in, typically buying for 20 or 30 different hospitals in India, for example, and they’ll take a 40-foot container of equipment over 3 or 4 auctions. I think for us it’s the joy of hearing the stories and the impact of what our equipment is actually doing inside the country when it actually lands inside the country and the difference it’s making inside the country as well.  

How do you see medical auctions evolving over the next 5–10 years, and what key trends will shape the industry?  

I see the medical market, especially the surplus market, evolving over the next 5 to 10 years. I see us moving into many different countries. We’re already doing that with our operations in the Netherlands and our operations in France. But I’d like to see us expanding into Northern Europe in the next 5 to 10 years. And also in other parts of the world, maybe in South East Asia and in the US.  

So I see us expanding and developing over the next 5 to 10 years. And I think we’ll be working much more closely with manufacturers and leasing companies to help with budget constraints in the public sector across Europe, but also in the private sector. I think AI is going to be a huge part of that over the next 5 to 10 years, shaping both the insights and the information that comes out of the medical industry, but also helping us to get the maximum results for ourselves as a group partner.  

Which TBAuctions value resonates with you the most?  

I think there’s only one for me and that’s “act like an owner”. I think it really is “act like an owner” and make decisions like an owner. Even though it’s still your business and we feel very much a part of it. And I think that doesn’t just resonate with me, it resonates with the whole team.  

We empower a lot of the team to make the right decisions and to be accountable for those decisions. So for us it’s “act like an owner” and I think you’ll hear that from a lot of our staff and team members.  

What do you like to do outside of work?  

So I have three children, two dogs, my wife and a football team that takes up a lot of my time. So what do I do outside of work? I walk the dogs a lot, so we do a lot of walking. We see a lot of friends, socialise, go out to restaurants. I follow my football team around the UK and Europe. I’ve already booked my flights to Poland in May to watch Chelsea play there.   

We also do a lot of holidays with the family. But as the kids get older and they’re 24, 22 and 19, we’re just holding on to those last holidays before they have their own holidays with their own families.  

As a child, what did you dream of being when you grew up?  

I think James Bond. I think James Bond was the epitome of the English gentleman. He dressed well. He acted well. And maybe when I, when I retire from the healthcare industry, they could have me at Ml6. That would be nice.  

If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring entrepreneurs, what would it be?  

Yes, that’s a great question and I’m very passionate about it. Especially in specialised markets, I think, as we say in the UK, stick to your knitting, stick to what you are good at. And I think a lot of people go down different paths to try and open up the markets and go on different journeys within their own business.  

But I think if you’re good at what you do, you stick to it and you become the best. So if I had to give advice, I’d say stick to what you’re good at. Stick to the journey and make it as good as you can.