The Drive For Change

Paul Simon talks to Terry Baxter, a man with a mission to inspire the county in many ways

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MAKING the best of what life throws at you and loyalty to a specific place dominate a conversation with Terry Baxter. The chief executive of Inspire Suffolk, chairman of Ipswich Central and media professional places a premium on hard work and the county he has lived in all his life.

“I’m very proud of coming from Suffolk. Originally from Ipswich, I had a very good childhood with a clear set of work ethics. Having older, working class parents might have something to do with it, as my father was 44 and mother 40 when I was born. So I’m bit of an old fashioned lad with a real sense of place, although unlike some from Suffolk I did realise that we live in a much bigger world.” He has, after all, worked in Essex.

Although Terry now sits at the very summit of his career, with a contacts list the size of Jupiter, his ascent has not been an easy one.

“My father died when I was 15 which was quite a key moment. I was an only child and felt a great sense of responsibility to get on and get an income, as there wasn’t a lot of money washing around. I left Copleston School with very average exam results on a Thursday and started work in an office for Anglia Business Machines the following Monday.” The young Terry learnt quickly, progressed and by the age of 28 had set up his own video business. It prospered for a few years until the sector consolidated and smaller companies felt the squeeze. It was a bleak time for the Baxters.