Marcus Evans

Marcus Paul Bruce Evans (born 18 August 1963) is an English businessman who owns Ipswich Town Football Club. He is originally from Walsham-le-Willows, near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, but grew up near Wimbledon, London.[1] He founded his company marcus evans[2] in 1983. The group organises live business, sports and entertainment events around the world. Its global regional head offices are: Europe – Dublin, US – Chicago and APAC – Kuala Lumpur. Marcus Evans the individual maintains a low profile, with limited photos and interviews of him available online.

This article is about the owner of Ipswich Town F.C. For the Illinois politician, see Marcus C. Evans, Jr. For the American basketball player, see Marcus Evans (basketball). For the Australian footballer, see Marcus Evans (footballer).
Marcus Evans
Born
Marcus Paul Bruce Evans

(1963-08-18) 18 August 1963
Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith, London, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationBusinessman
Known forOwnership of Ipswich Town F.C.
Spouse(s)(married 1991)
Children3
Parent(s)Nigel Bruce Charles Evans and Janita Evans (nee Williamson)

Career

He graduated from Cambridge University. According to Companies House, Evans started his first firm, Associated Promotions, in 1983 when corporate hospitality was a relatively new market. By 1992 he had renamed his company The Hospitality Group (THG Sports Tours) and he bought into a clothing and gifts company, Castle Mills International, but within a year sold out to investor Brian Rousell. THG Sports Tours is now part of the wider Marcus Evans Group.[3] In 1994, he paid £325,000 for a stake of just under 5 per cent in the consumer electronics group Ross,[4] but in 1999, having spent 5 years reorganising the companies with the companies bankers eventually Evans fully arranged a rights issue with other investors who took over the company.[5] In 2004 Evans made an unsuccessful £700+ million offer for the Daily Mirror, followed by another rejected offer of £550+ million in 2006.[6]

2007 Rugby World Cup

In June 2007, the organisers of the Rugby World Cup failed to secure exclusive control over corporate hospitality at the event. In a ruling, the Paris Commercial Court awarded marcus evans the right to run hospitality packages without the approval of the organising committee.[7] Marcus Evans won its case after telling the court that its packages included receptions before and after the matches, but not tickets to see them. This claim was contested by the organising committee. However despite taking Marcus Evans' THG Group to the highest appeal courts in France in 2008, THG Group won its case in the courts.

2012 Olympic Games (London)

In 2007, The Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) officially appointed the THG Sports Tours,[8] another company owned by Marcus Evans and part of the Marcus Evans Group as its official ticketing agency for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.[9]

Subsequently, both the Greek Olympic organisation and the Maltese Olympic organisation[10] have appointed THG Sports Tours as their agents.[11]

Ipswich Town

In 2007 Ipswich Town Football Club announced that Marcus Evans would be buying a controlling stake in the club subject to contracts, due diligence and shareholder approval. The deal saw Evans purchase Ipswich Town's £32 million debts with Aviva (Norwich Union) and Barclays Bank. The official announcement did not state the terms of this deal: various unsourced media reports speculated that he paid anything between 20 pence and 100 pence in the pound, without giving sources.[12] He injected £12 million into the club in exchange for an issue of new shares, which gave him an 87.5% stake, and reduced the existing shareholders stake to 12.5%.[13] The deal was finalised following an EGM on 17 December 2007, at which the proposal was backed by shareholders speaking for 98.9% of the stock.[14]

When owner Marcus Evans took over the club in 2007, the club were £32m in debt –under Evan’s ownership, this figure has more than doubled (and looks set to increase further in the next accounts). Ipswich Town pays Marcus Evans around 5.4% interest on the debt. Club accounts in 2012 showed that £67m debt is owed to Evans and he has not converted any of it to equity. [15]

After 11 years of Marcus Evans ownership the club finished bottom of the Championship in 2019 and were relegated to League One, the third tier of English football for the first time since 1957. Following relegation the club's debt, which is owed exclusively to Evans, rose from £95.5m to £96.3m. [16] [17]

Marcus Evans Group

Marcus Evans Group was founded in 1983,[18] employs over 3000 staff and has around 56 offices globally.[19] The group produces high end and sector focussed business events, summits and conferences in a number of business sectors, some major sectors include:

Marcus Evans Television

In 2004, Evans set up marcus evans television with ex BBC Producer Mark Wilkin. The TV division created a range of "The World of ...." series. The magazine programme The World of Football enjoyed the most success and was broadcast in the UK by Sky and BBC and was licensed across most major global territories.

In 2012 World Productions became part of Marcus Evans Entertainment. World Productions have been making television drama for the last 20 years where they have produced critically acclaimed dramas including Line of Duty, The Bletchley Circle, The Fear, United, This Life, No Angels, Ballykissangel, Ultraviolet, Between The Lines, and Party Animals.

In 2017, ITV Studios took a majority stake in the television division.

Liberal Democrats

In 2007, a Liberal Democrats spokesman confirmed that the party received significant support from Marcus Evans Ltd to establish a national phone bank to promote the party in future elections.[20]

Guest speakers at summit events run by the Marcus Evans Group have included: George H. W. Bush, 41st US President (1989–1993); Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida (1999–2007); Bill Clinton 42nd US President, (1993–2001); Dick Cheney, 46th US Vice-President (2001–2009); The Honorable William H. Frist, MD, 18th Majority Leader, US Senate (2003–2007); Tony Blair, British Prime Minister (1997–2007) and Newt Gingrich, 58th Speaker of the US House of Representatives (1995–1999).

Tax exile status

Companies House entry for Evans' first company Associated Promotions lists his address as in Bermuda. When he was a director of Ross Group, documents filed revealed that his contract as chairman required him to spend 60 days a year in the UK. Companies House lists his fifteen firms, including his core company The Marcus Evans Group, as all being registered in Bermuda. Marcus Evans is believed to be based in Ireland where his European headquarters are located, although he still owns his two homes in Britain (Kingston upon Thames and Chelsea).[5] Evans resigned all his UK-based directorships in 2000.

However, he does appear on the UK Electoral roll at his London address for the years 2004–2005 and 2008 and he bought the Trewarthenick Estate in Tregony, Cornwall for a reputed £9 million, which is currently being renovated.[21]

References
  1. "Marcus Evans makes new investment". Ipswich Star. 1 June 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  2. "marcus evans - Home". Marcusevans.com. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  3. "Corporate hospitality and sports hospitality - THG Sports". thgsports.com. Archived from the original on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  4. MAGNUS GRIMOND (5 April 1995). "Fresh blood at Ross Group". The Independent. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  5. "Who Is Marcus Evans? - Ipswich Town News". TWTD.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  6. "Login". timesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  7. "Login". timesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  8. "London 2012 News". London2012-news.com. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  9. "OCI appoint Ticketing Agency for London 2012 Games". Olympicsport.ie. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  10. "The Malta Independent online". Independent.com.mt. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  11. "London 2012 unveils ticket designs". London2012.com. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  12. Norwich Union severs Ipswich Town links, eveningnews24.co.uk, 1 November 2007.
  13. "NEW INVESTMENT - Ipswich Town - News - Latest - Latest". 2 November 2007. Archived from the original on 2 November 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  14. "SHAREHOLDERS BACK EVANS INVESTMENT - Ipswich Town - News - Latest - Latest". 20 December 2007. Archived from the original on 20 December 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  15. "Ipswich - big club, big problems". Financialfairplay.co.uk. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  16. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47835896
  17. https://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/itfc-reveal-2018-19-accounts-1-6428196
  18. Patrick Cannon. "Global business conferences summits - marketing events - marcus evans". marcusevans.com. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  19. "marcus evans". Marcusevans.com. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  20. Christopher Hope, Whitehall Editor (13 January 2007). "Multi-millionaire backs Lib Dems' challenge". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  21. "Business tycoon's wealth bucks economic trend - Plymouth Herald". Plymouth Herald. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
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