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Tom Maxfield is one of the region's leading businessmen, with his flagship hotel, Seaham Hall, bringing international renown to the North-East. Deborah Johnson finds out how his decision to become an entrepreneur was inspired by heartbreak - but has now brought him joy

"At times like that, you have a couple of alternatives," he remembers.

"You cry in your beer, or you divert all that stuff elsewhere. For me, it gave me single-mindedness."

And so, from being a director of Newcastle software company Sage, Mr Maxfield decided to branch out on his own, and created Tom's Companies. It wasn't necessarily a lifelong ambition, but the need for change was paramount.

"I had stayed with Sage for 13 years. I didn't know what I wanted to do, other than it needed to be something radically different," he says.

Barely ten years later, the business is the umbrella company for arguably the region's finest hotel - Seaham Hall - and an array of exclusive restaurants across the region. The Serenity Spa venture, which operates from two sites in the North-East, is now due to be rolled out across the UK.

Not bad for a workingclass lad from Sunderland, the son of a glazier and a teaching assistant.

And now Mr Maxfield, a keen promoter of the Entrepreneurs' Forum, is calling for others to follow his lead by backing the If We Can, You Can search for budding entrepreneurs who can help boost the region's low business start-up rate.

The campaign is supported by The Northern Echo.

"I don't consider myself a mentor, but I'm happy to have a constructive conversation," he says.

"Typically, would-be entrepreneurs are so close to what they are doing, they don't have the opportunity to stand back. All I do is give them that opportunity. I take them away from the minutiae and help them see the bigger picture."

Mr Maxfield started his career working for a Gateshead manufacturing company, moving into selfemployment, before joining Sage.

Seaham Hall - a former residence of poet Lord Byron - took more than four years to transform from its "disgustingly awful" state into the epitomy of luxury it is today, as the region's first AA five-star hotel.

"You can't create an overnight success, but if you stay true to your principles and don't compromise, you will get there," he says.

Attention to detail and recognising the importance of a brand are also crucial in business success. "I learned the importance of the brand at Sage. We wouldn't have a conversation there without the importance of the brand coming into it."

Tom's Companies, which he runs with his second wife, Jocelyn, continues to expand, with Seaham Hall recognised internationally for its levels of service and luxury, and its other venues - Fisherman's Lodge and Serenity in the City, both in Jesmond, Treacle Moon, in Newcastle, and The Samling, in the Lake District.

He is keen to see others follow his example, and is working with the Entrepreneurs' Forum in its efforts to encourage talented individuals to stay in the North-East.

"That's critical," he says.

"We can stop the flight of talent if we engage with them and bring to their attention the opportunities that exist in the region."

And as someone who has travelled the world through his work, but has always come back "home" to the North-East, Mr Maxfield is the very image of a local boy made good.

5:36pm Wednesday 12th March 2008

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