Town's new director Holly Bellingham was introduced to the press this morning after being appointed as the club's first ever female member of the board . Bellingham, 44, will take part in her inaugural board meeting this afternoon.

Bellingham was joined at the press conference by chairman David Sheepshanks, who said of her appointment: "I'm absolutely delighted to welcome Holly Bellingham as a director of Ipswich Town Football Club.

"Holly has been recruited for her own particular business skills and acumen and for what she can add to the board.

"Combined with the fact that she is the first ever lady director of Ipswich Town, she will bring an important new voice and approach that I'm sure will benefit the club going forward.

"Holly has supported the club for many years, both individually and via her company Marketform, who have been regular and generous sponsors of many matches and events at Portman Road.

"Holly and her partner Simon Turner have also invested considerable amounts through both last summer's loan note issue and in the recent share issue.

"I feel, as do my fellow directors, that future appointments to the board must firstly add value in terms of skills around the table, and secondly having filled that key criterion, any new recruit should, as far as possible, be representative of our supporter base. Being a club with one of the highest ratios of female support, in the order of 25 per cent, I hope that Holly's appointment will be widely welcomed."

Quite how much money Bellingham and fiancé Turner have invested in the club is not being revealed, Town's new appointment preferring to keep the exact figure private: “Every individual's investment will be a significant investment to them.”

Born in the Saffron Walden area but now living in Lavenham, Bellingham only began to become a Portman Road regular during the George Burley management era: “Having lived all my life in East Anglia I was very aware when we won the FA Cup, but I can't claim to have been to many games until more rcently.”

Bellingham has two children, Sophie 8 and Andrew 6, and names Matt Holland as her favourite player, although partly due to her children's affections: “I'll have to say Matty as otherwise my daughter will shoot me!”

She runs Marketform, a leading Lloyds liability indemnity group, preferring to be referred to as chairman rather than chairperson as she claims to be “more traditional and not politically correct.”

Marketform, which sponsors Town mascot Crazee, employs around 70 people in offices in London and Bilbao with an Australian base due to open shortly.

Bellingham led a management buy-out which established Marketform Limited in 1989. She began her career in insurance in 1979 as a professional indemnity broker, before moving into medical malpractice underwriting in 1982. Her partner Simon Turner is managing director at Marketform.

With the addition of Bellingham the Town board now has eight members: Chairman David Sheepshanks, chief executive Derek Bowden as well as Roger Finbow, Philip Hope-Cobbold, John Kerr, Richard Moore and last August's appointment Kevin Beeston.

Lord Ryder, currently in temporary charge at the BBC, left the board to become a club vice-president alongside Harold Smith at the end of 2003.

Photo: Action Images

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