Who is Marcus Evans, the man set to own 87.5% of Ipswich Town? TWTD looked into the background of the mysterious entrepreneur who made his money from his conference, training and hospitality group of companies.
Evans's first business, Associated Promotions, started in the early 1980s and was involved in the then new corporate hospitality market.
In 1987 he made the national press during Wimbledon fortnight when he served champagne lunches and strawberries and cream from a marquee in the garden of his own house in Somerset Road which overlooked the All-England Club, something which didn't go down too well with some of his neighbours or Merton Council.
His company was renamed The Hospitality Group by 1992 when he bought into and then sold a stake in Castle Mill International.
In 1994 Evans bought into the Ross Group, an electronics firm, and became their chief executive, but is reported to have been removed by a shareholder coup in 1999.
Evans resigned all his UK-based directorships in 2000 and currently has 15 firms registered in Bermuda, including his core company The Marcus Evans Group.
In 2004 Evans made an unsuccessful £700 million - £800 million offer for the Daily Mirror and last year made another bid, this time of £550 million -£600 million.
The Marcus Evans Group is well-known in the City, employing in excess of 3,500 people in more than 32 countries, delivering conferencing products across a wide range of commercial sectors, including, according to their website, capital markets, life sciences, defence, healthcare, information technology and legal.
In 2006 The Marcus Evans Group was reported to generate $350 million annually (£169 million), although as Evans himself owns all the company's issued share capital, this is not verifiable.
Earlier this year, it was announced that Evans would give the Liberal Democrats £1 million in order to fund a call centre at the next general election.
Of Evans's personal life very little is known. He is believed to be 44-years-old and has homes in Kingston-upon-Thames and Chelsea's The Boltons. Evans, who never gives interviews, is believed to be a billionaire, but is not listed in the Sunday Times Rich List.
His wealth is estimated as being well beyond anyone currently at the club with the exception of associate director Michael Spencer. While not in the Roman Abramovich or Alexandre Gaydamak league, he is understood to be significantly wealthier than Delia Smith and husband Michael Wynn-Jones.
Any further information readers may have discovered, gratefully received.