Mark Baxter stopped talking about his upbringing to break through the ‘class ceiling’. Now he’s fighting for change

Mark Baxter says his social class was a barrier when climbing the corporate ladder. Just 4% of leaders in a new survey reported being ‘class marginalised’ Photograph: Supplied

“Mark went to a state school but we won’t hold that against him.”

Former corporate high-flyer Mark Baxter heard variations of this phrase from senior leaders in the early years of his career.