John Parker (businessman)

Sir Thomas John Parker,  (born 8 April 1942) is a British businessman. He was Chairman of Anglo American plc until 2017 and was also previously Chairman of Ombu Group and a Director of Airbus. He is currently a Director of Carnival Corporation & plc. He is also past President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, patron at the Centre for Process Innovation and a Visiting Fellow of the University of Oxford. Parker has chaired five FTSE 100 companies, including National Grid plc, from which he stood down in December 2011.

Early life
Parker was born into a farming family in County Down, Northern Ireland. He attended Belfast College of Technology (since 1991 called Belfast Metropolitan College). In 1958, at age 17, he joined Harland and Wolff as an apprentice naval architect (engineer). At Queen's University Belfast he was awarded an Honorary DSc degree in Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture.

Career

 1958–1963 Apprenticeship at Harland & Wolff
 1963–1974 Member of ship design team at Harland & Wolff
 1974–1978 Managing Director of Austin & Pickersgill
 1978–1983 Deputy Chief Executive of Board of the British Shipbuilders Corporation
 1983–1993 Chairman and Chief Executive of Harland and Wolff
 1983–1986 Non-Executive Director of Industrial Development Board of Northern Ireland
 1983–1986 Non-Executive Director of British Coal Corporation
 1993–2002 Non-Executive Director of The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity
 1993–2000 Chief Executive of Babcock International Group
 1994–2000 Chairman and Chief Executive of Babcock International
 1997–2000 Non-Executive Director of British Gas 
 26 August 1999-3 February 2003 Chairman of Firth Rixson Limited
 2000–2003 Non-executive Director and subsequently Deputy Chairman of P&O Princess Cruises plc
 2000–2002 Chairman of Lattice Group
 2000–present Director of Carnival plc
 2001–2003 Non-Executive Director of Brambles Industries plc
 2002–2005 Chairman of RMC Group
 21 October 2002–31 December 2011 Chairman of National Grid plc
 2003–present Non-Executive Director of Carnival Corporation
 2005–2006 Chairman of P&O
 2006–2011 Chancellor of the University of Southampton
 May 2007–2015 Director and Vice-Chairman of DP World
 2007–2018 Non-Executive Director of Airbus Group 
 July 2008 Non-executive Chairman of BVT Surface Fleet.
 July 2009–2017 Chairman of Anglo American plc.
 April 2011–2018 Non-executive Chairman of Ombu Group
 2011–2014 President of the Royal Academy of Engineering
 2011–2014 Member of the Prime Ministers Committee of Science & Technology
 August 2015–present Chairman of Pennon Group.

Recognition
He was knighted for services to defence and shipbuilding in 2001. He was also the Chancellor of the University of Southampton, from 2006 to 2011, as well as being a governor of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Other appointments have included membership of the Prime Minister's Business Council for Britain and non-executive director at the Bank of England. He was President of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects from 1996–9. In 2012, he was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE), for services to Industry and to the Voluntary Sector. He was conferred with Honorary Fellowship of the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland (HonFIES) in 2012. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) in 1983. He was elected as an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (HonFIET) in 2014.

Personal life
Parker married Emma, a former Latin teacher and pianist in 1967; they have two children. Parker is a Member of the Royal Yacht Squadron.

References

Further reading
 Autobiography: Parker, Sir John: The View from the Bridge, Endeavour Quill (2018);

External links

Board Profiles:
 Anglo American Chairman Profile
 Ombu Group Chairman Profile
 DP World Vice Chairman Profile
 EADS Director Profile
 Carnival Corporation & plc Director Profile
 Royal Academy of Engineering President Profile
 University of Oxford Visiting Fellow Profile
 Defence Academy

Articles:
 Sir John Parker: how to engineer Britain's industrial revival, The Guardian, 4 June 2012
 Sir John Parker: tough man from the farm, FT.com, 21 April 2011
 Interview: Super chairman Sir John Parker, This is Money, March 2011
 Sir John Parker: 'A man you want on your side, and not one to cross', The Independent, 10 January 2010
 Sir John Parker holds the key to tackling Anglo American's weakness, The Guardian, 15 October 2009
 Profile: Sir John Parker, National Grid chairman, The Telegraph, 18 February 2008

Category:1942 births
Category:Living people
Category:British businesspeople
Category:Presidents of the Royal Academy of Engineering
Category:Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering
Category:Presidents of the Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers
Category:Alumni of Queen's University Belfast
Category:People from County Down
Category:Businesspeople from Northern Ireland
Category:Chancellors of the University of Southampton
Category:Naval architects
Category:Knights Bachelor
Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire