Martin Long is a businessman and founder of the Churchill Insurance Company.

Long, together with Peter Wood

Peter Wood (businessman)

Peter Wood, CBE is an English entrepreneur, most notable as the founder of the Direct Line and Esure insurance companies. He is the 438th wealthiest person in Britain with a personal fortune of £120 million, according to the Sunday Times Rich List 2009, and his repeated successes in the past...

, founded Direct Line

Direct Line

Direct Line is part of the RBS Insurance division of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group that specialises in selling insurance and other financial services over the phone and internet....

 in 1985, which was the first telephone-only insurance company in the UK. Four years later Long broke away to form Churchill, a company he would manage himself until its purchase by the Royal Bank of Scotland

Royal Bank of Scotland

The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which the UK Government holds an 84% stake. This stake is held and managed through UK Financial Investments Limited, whose voting rights are limited to 75% in order for the bank to retain its listing on the...

 in 2001, a deal that is said to have earned Long £50 million. He retained his job of running Churchill in 2004, when he left to set up his own property company.

Long is now also one of the owners and the co-chairman of Crystal Palace Football Club

Crystal Palace F.C.

Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...

.