Ipswich council chief executive Russell Williams is preparing to return to where it all started for him when he leaves Grafton House at the end of January.
He has been at Ipswich council for 27 years - 13 of them as chief executive - after joining the borough as a junior planning officer shortly after graduating from university.
He rose through the ranks to become head of planning before becoming chief executive following the unexpected death of Jim Hehir in the autumn of 2009.
Mr Williams is now set to return to his roots as a planning officer working for a district council in Norfolk where he will be dealing with applications for everything from small house extensions to new industrial units.
It's a radical change for a senior executive in his early 50s - but for Mr Williams it is entirely logical, and he's looking forward to his new life.
He said: "I started as a planning officer in Ipswich helping to record 10,000 objections to the plans to develop Ravenswood on the airport site.
"I've always been interested in the planning side of council work."
He never planned to stay long at Ipswich when he arrived in the town from his home in Cardiff - but quickly felt a strong attachment to the place and decided to stay.
"Ipswich is a very good place to live and bring up your family. The development of the Waterfront area has been really positive, especially the university, but there is still much to be done there.
"But if you look at other places where there have been similar developments, they have happened across more than one economic cycle and I hope the work at the end of the Waterfront will make a big difference."
Mr Williams said steps were now underway which should see the area between the Novotel roundabout and the former Paul's silo turned into a small pocket park by the middle of 2024 which should improve the town entrance to the whole Waterfront area.
And while the town centre has been badly hit by the effects of the pandemic, recession and the collapse of some of Britain's largest retail chains, he felt it could still have a strong future.
He said: "It really is a connected town centre with everything within a 15-minute walk - shops, theatres, cinemas, the football club and fantastic parks.
"That's not actually all that common - in most towns or cities you find some of those on the edge, in retail or leisure parks that are away from the centre.
"I've said for many years that the town centre needs to be seen as a place for people to meet rather than just a place to go shopping."
The borough is a key player in the regeneration of the town centre - and either directly or indirectly through its property company Ipswich Borough Assets owns some of the key properties including the Deichmann shoe shop and Old Post Office that is now home to The Botanist restaurant.
With many challenges left, why has Mr Williams decided this is the time to go?
"I'd never really planned to spend this long in one job, but I did find it fulfilling and there have been many challenges to deal with - especially reductions in government funding.
"When Covid came along with the lockdowns and the support channelled through councils, it was a pretty intensive 12 months.
"But for the past couple of years I've found I haven't been enjoying work quite as much as I did - with the hybrid working, partly at home and partly in the office. I like being part of a busy office atmosphere where you have the chance to chat to your colleagues all the time."
David Ellesmere's decision to stand down as council leader after May's elections also forced his hand.
Mr Williams said: "If I was going to carry on I would have had to stay for at least a year, possibly more, to help the new leader settle in.
"So I felt it was best to make my move now to hopefully have a new chief executive in post by the time a new leader is selected."
He was initially appointed chief executive when the borough was run by a Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition led by Liz Harsant in 2009. Labour regained control of the council in 2011 since when Mr Ellesmere has been leader.
Mr Williams said he was very grateful for the support he had received from senior councillors from all parties since he had been in Ipswich.
Over the last 13 years he has overseen 17 major elections in Ipswich - not including council by-elections - and just a quarter of the councillors that were there when he was appointed are still members of the authority.
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