About

Building A Vision...

The club provides members with engaging opportunities to meet successful business people locally and build relationships. Disseminating the latest thinking from industry leaders in their field and helping business leaders understand the business environment of the future is a priority for the vision of ISBC. 

Membership is by invitation only and limited. ISBC members are influential business leaders, experts in their chosen sectors and opinion formers. All are in a real position to influence the direction and growth of their businesses and support the club’s aims. We welcome members from all political affiliations. 

Our Visions & Values

Ipswich Suffolk Business Club aims to promote the growth of business and employment in Ipswich and across Suffolk. 

Engage.

Meet like-minded business leaders at exquisite Suffolk locations.

Exchange.

Network with industry leaders, opinion formers and key contacts.

Growth.

All of our members share a common purpose to promote growth in Suffolk. 

Support.

Understand the challenges facing businesses of the future.

promote.

A platform to exchange opinions with key UK stakeholders.

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Meet The team

Meet our chairman, steering group and patrons.

Steering Group – Chair

Steering Group – Honorary Secretary

Steering Group – Treasurer

Mark Pendlington

Patron

Patron

William Kendall

Patron

Honorary Life President

Our Supporters

Thank you to our corporate supporters: 

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Become A member

Our members share the club’s vision of accelerating Suffolk’s reputation in the UK and internationally as a place to do business.

Toby Kramers

Committee Chair

Toby was brought up in Suffolk and, after a brief spell at University and working in London, returned to Ipswich to work in a legal practice in Ipswich in the 1990s where he has worked ever since as a solicitor specialising in Commercial Property.

Outside of work, Toby enjoys politics (he was Chairman of and remains involved in the South Suffolk Conservative Association), singing (he has performed with the Essex University Choir) and country sports. He is involved in a number of local charities.

Councillor Liz Harsant

Committee – Honorary Secretary

Liz has been a local Ipswich Borough Councillor for Holywells Ward for 17 years and for 6 1/2 years was the Leader of the Council. During this time she was instrumental in the Waterfront Regeneration project, the Suffolk University build and the renovation of Holywells Park. She has served as a Corporate Member of Suffolk New College for many years and also chairs the Local Governing Body of the Raedwald Trust which incorporates the 5 Pupil Referral Units here in Ipswich.

Liz chairs the Overview & Scrutiny Committee at the Council and is a member of the Planning & Development Committee. She is also very involved in local charities and this year will be President of the Rotary Club of Ipswich East.

Liz is a compassionate, dedicated Councillor and has worked tirelessly improving services and facilities in the Ward she represents. She is passionate about Ipswich and very proud of the improvements to the town that she has been involved in.

Edward Phillips

Steering Group – Treasurer

Eddy has been the Treasurer of the Club since its formation in 2013, where has keeps a close eye on the all important finances. He has been a Conservative Councillor at Ipswich Borough Council since 2014 and was previously Deputy Chairman of the Ipswich Conservative Association. His current role is as Agent where he helps to organise campaigning both for the various elections and supporting Tom Hunt MP.

 

He works at AXA Insurance in Ipswich, as a Commercial Underwriter. He was formerly on the committee and treasurer of a Suffolk-based charity, and previously took a leading role in a local support group for young people.

Mark Pendlington

Patron

Mark has extensive experience of working across the public and private sectors including in industry, national and regional voluntary organisations, further and higher education, economic development bodies and academia, many with UK, EU and international dimensions.

He worked for the Anglian Water Group from 2008-2019 as Group Director responsible for leading the engagement of the business in the important debates around environmental sustainability, regional growth and development, and mitigating the impacts of climate change.

Mark was previously a Director at BAA Stansted where he led work on the strategic expansion of the business, including working with business leaders, local authorities, politicians, academics and local communities on the economic, social and environmental consequences of airport growth on the regional and UK economy.

Prior to this Mark was the Chief Executive of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), a national organisation dedicated to the economic health and social wellbeing of the diverse UK rural economy. Mark is currently an Independent Director and Chair Designate at the University of Suffolk, the Deputy Lieutenant of Suffolk, Chair of Governors at The Royal Hospital School, Chair of Trustees for the Diocese of Suffolk, Patron of the Green Light Trust, and Trustee of the British Racing School in Newmarket.

Gina Long

Patron

Gina Long MBE has worked for over 40 years in the media world, predominantly working with major corporations heading communications and sponsorship programmes along with media partnerships.

She works as a freelance journalist and full-time voluntary charity fundraiser. She has raised over £4 million for national and regional charities. Gina started her own charitable foundation, in November 2015 GeeWizz, to support East Anglian families living with cancer or a disability, her ethos is how transparency and accountability are paramount.

Gina is very proud to be a patron of the club. She is also a Patron for the Women’s Aid Centre, and an Ambassador for West Suffolk Hospital, Suffolk Chamber of Commerce and West Suffolk College, where she has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship.

William Kendall

Patron

William read law at Cambridge University and collected an MBA at INSEAD in Fontainebleau. He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Suffolk. He has had short careers as an army officer, a barrister and an investment banker. He built up The New Covent Garden Soup Company before selling it to a public company. He and several colleagues bought Green & Black’s from its founder and grew it to an international brand which they sold to Cadburys in 2005.

He and two partners formed Nemadi Advisors in 2000 to advise and finance early stage businesses. He is or has been advisor to or director of many organisations, both public and private including Adnams, Notcutts, and Keystone. William farms organically and conventionally in East Anglia. He is an active environmentalist and a campaigner for better food and rural issues.

Clive Underdown

Honorary Life President

Clive was a founder of Ipswich Suffolk Business Club and has become Life President after retiring as Chairman.

He is director of an international consulting business with commercial and financial skills in developing large highly profitable companies and turning around underperforming businesses. Hi experience includes operating multi-site businesses with a number of diverse manufacturing technologies and markets and by initiating change increasing their growth and earnings. His international experience includes restructuring and developing effective management teams.

Penny Arbuthnot

Steering Group

Penny is a Senior Advisor to PLMR Genesis. Her 30 year career began at a leading London based corporate communications agency before moving to East Anglia.

After a span at an Essex-based agency, she established and grew Genesis PR to be a multiple award winning PR and digital marketing agency before Genesis became part of the PLMR group in October 2021. Genesis is also known for its pro bono work, most recently with Suffolk charity Families in Need (FIND) in a £100,000 lifeline appeal.

She is passionate about investing in skills and improving the reputation of Ipswich and Suffolk as a place to live, invest and develop a career.