Terry Pavey, who had run a recruitment business near London, played a significant part in the transfer of Exeter City to supporter ownership in 2003 before serving as chief executive.

With the Exeter City Supporters’ Trust having been established in 2000, the still-tiny organisation was striving to provide a supporter voice during the chaotic times when John Russell and Mike Lewis were in control of the club. As the situation worsened, a number of members pushed for the ultimate aim of the trust to become owner of the club rather than play a purely ‘supportive’ role. Mr Pavey, Ian Huxham (then chair of the trust) and Julian Tagg were at the fore of this move and, when Lewis and Russell departed the scene in May 2023, they were invited to take control of the club by former chairman and majority shareholder Ivor Doble.

All three officially became club directors on 19 May 2003 and together with David Treharne oversaw the final transfer of shares from Mr Doble to the trust in September 2023. Ian Huxham subsequently became managing director, Terry Pavey chief executive, David Treharne club chair and Julian Tagg vice-chair. 

Aged sixty, and having moved away from Devon soon after leaving school, Mr Pavey remained in post as the club entered a compulsory voluntary arrangement (CVA) to stabilise its finances. Newly relegated to the Conference, City were to face a series of make-or-break challenges that were eventually to be partly overcome with the revenue boost from the two FA Cup games against Manchester United in 2005.