Graham Baker - Chief Executive
After qualifying in Business Studies & Industrial Management at the University of Manchester, Graham worked as an Industrial Engineer at home and abroad with multi-nationals like Philips, Gillette and Burlington Industries (USA). He then spent 8 years in manufacturing management before becoming the Deputy Managing Director of one of the UK's fastest growing SME's in the consumer goods sector.
After a major project to relocate 5 manufacturing sites to a single 10-acre site in Telford, Graham left to establish his own plastics manufacturing company in North London. The business grew to a turnover of £7m and 60 employees within 4 years and he finally sold the company to a multinational competitor in late 1992.
Graham joined Business Link London East as Head of Client Services and became Chief Executive in April 2000. As part of the national reorganisation of business support in 2001 he became Operations Director of the new regional Business Link for London and was heavily involved in merging nine Business Link organisations into a single operating company.
On completion of the project in 2002, he left to join Pat Smith's senior management team at Essex Business Support Limited. Following a period reorganising and raising operational performance, he was elected to the Board in 2005 and developed new business for the Ixion Group of companies.
Graham became Chief Executive of Ixion in 2006.
Graham is married with one grown-up daughter and is a keen sailor and bonsai enthusiast.
Rachael Sidgwick - Group Finance Director
Rachael qualified as an Accountant in 1995. Her background in Chartered Accountancy has given her invaluable experience in systems and processes which has assisted her throughout her career. She worked for the Learning and Skills Council Essex as Head of Finance for three years before joining Essex Business Support Limited as the Finance Manager in April 2004.
She led a team responsible for setting up a Training and Enterprise Council which involved setting up the company, recruiting and training private sector board members, recruiting staff and securing premises and equipment.
Rachael was promoted to Head of Corporate Services of the Ixion Group in April 2005 and is responsible for the group corporate service functions including Finance, IT, Quality, Facilities, HR and Contract Management. It is a role that she thoroughly enjoys and feels she can contribute greatly to the group company development for the future.
Rachael became Finance Director for the Ixion Group of Companies in April 2006 and joined the Board as an Executive Director.
Rachael is also a Board Director and Treasurer for Essex Crimestoppers and works with Chelmsford College, supporting and advising students prepare Business Plans for their Business Diploma Courses.
Margaret Hyde - Non Executive Chairman
Margaret is the Chair of the Ixion Group and is a Non Executive board member of Business Link East. Her other activities include director and former chairman of Essex Crimestoppers, a trustee of Essex Community Foundation, a vice-president of Helen Rollason Cancer Care and a former president of Soroptimist International's Chelmsford Club.
Born in West London, she lives in Chelmsford and Cambridge, is married to a Daily Mail journalist and has one daughter.
She has been a Non Executive Board Director of the Ixion Group since 2001 and became its Chair Person in 2005.
Margaret was Managing Editor of BBC Essex between 1995 and 2007 and coordinated the BBC's Charter Renewal activity in the East of England under the key theme of “Building Public Value".
She previously managed BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, was Head of Programmes in Lancashire and in 1979 became the first woman News Editor in English Local Radio at Radio Merseyside. Earlier in her career she presented and produced the station's breakfast show and she's also worked in network radio news and television management in Manchester.
Juliet Price - Non Executive Director
Juliet has run her own Human Resource and Health & Safety Consultancy business called Park City Consulting since 1999, providing an outsourced Human Resource and Health & Safety department to businesses that typically employ between 5 and 1,000 people. Red tape and employment legislation these days is a huge issue for businesses.
Juliette is also Vice Chairman of the Essex Branch of the Institute of Directors and part of her role there is to organise events for local directors including events to help them cut through the minefield of red tape that businesses face.
She is a Non Executive Board Director of the Ixion Group of Companies and assists with championing the HR side of the business as well as being a member of the Group Audit and Remuneration Committee.
Andrew Creswell - Non Executive Director
Andrew has been a Director of the Ixion Group since 2002. Educated at Aldenham School in Hertfordshire and 'Colchester Tech', Andrew then followed in his father and brother's footsteps by joining the Royal Artillery. After Sandhurst and a Young Officers' course at the Royal School of Artillery, he was posted to the Royal Horse Artillery in 1968.
The next few years saw him married, becoming an Instructor of Gunnery teaching 2 generations of artillery young officers, a troop commander on secondment to the Canadian Army and 2 years at the Army Staff College. He then took two desk jobs in the Ministry of Defence and command of a Gun Battery in Germany.
In 1986, the Creswell family moved to West Bergholt, Colchester. With careful lobbying of the postings branch, Andrew (by now promoted to Lieutenant Colonel) then managed to arrange 3 successive postings in the Ministry of Defence in London. Between 1986 and his retirement in 1996 he was involved in the world of weapons procurement, initially working directly for the Chief of Army Procurement at 4* and Ministerial level, and then as a Project Manager in collaboration with French, German, Dutch and Belgian partners on the development of an anti-tank missile.
In 1986, Andrew's wife Carrie started a small business in Colchester importing ornamental orange trees from her brother who was growing them in Portugal. By 1996, Carrie urgently needed full-time management assistance and Andrew took early retirement and joined her. Together they rapidly expanded the business and they now employ over 30 people in their nursery and very successfully wholesale conservatory plants nationwide as well as running a small mail order Biological Pest Control business.
Andrew's interests include sport, horology, antiques and clock collecting. He was governor of a girl's school in Suffolk for 5 years and has a grown up daughter and son.
Richard Cook - Non Executive Director
Richard is Managing Director of G E Cook & Sons Ltd, a family business established in 1885. Originally brewers and wine merchants with branches across Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire, the original company was sold in 1995 to Unwins Merchants. Richard successfully steered G E Cook & Sons Ltd through the transformation into a property management and investment company.
Richard has been a firm supporter and champion of local businesses for many years. He was the founder and former chairman of the Braintree District Business Council.
Richard is a Non Executive Director of the Ixion Group and is also the Chair of Audit and Remuneration and the Board's Finance Champion, which means he keeps a watchful eye over how the business is run.
Andrew Mead - Non Executive Director
Andy is an entrepreneur who, since leaving school in 1978, has spent his whole career in the print finishing industry. From an early age, Andy recognised the importance of fast, high quality finishing services to the magazine industry. With this in mind, Andy started his own company The Finishing Line in 1987, initially based at the Young Enterprise Centre.
The company has expanded through five changes of premises before settling at their current location in Basildon.
Andy has business interests throughout the South East but he is committed to helping small and medium enterprises in Essex. In the past, he has served as a director of Essex TEC, The Business Development Advisory Service and The Princes Youth Business Trust Board.
In recognition of his success, Andy was a finalist in the Shell UK sponsored National Live Wire Competition for young business people in 1988 and was subsequently awarded a Significant Progress Award by National Live Wire in 1997.
A keen sportsman with a love of fishing, skiing, keeping fit and golf, although his handicap, much to his chagrin, does not seem to be improving as he does not seem to be able to spend as much time as he would like on the golf course.
Andy is a Non Executive Director of the Ixion Group and enjoys working in a mentoring role to the Business development team focussing on winning new business and contracts.