Tim Parker

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the American puzzle editor (born 1960), see Timothy Parker.

Tim Parker (born 19 June 1955) is a millionaire British businessman nicknamed the Prince of Darkness by labour unions for his track record of laying off workers to cut costs. In May 2008, newly-elected Mayor of London Boris Johnson appointed^[1] Parker as Chief Executive of the Greater London Authority, a position which includes managing Transport for London. Parker "agreed not to receive a salary but will get a nominal one pound a year."^[2]

1 Private Life
2 Career
3 Union Criticism
4 Politics
5 Sources

[edit] Private Life

Tim Parker studied at Abingdon, at Oxford University's Pembroke College, and the London Business School. He knew what he wanted to be from the age of fourteen and picked his friends and mates accordingly. He is married and has four children.^[3]

[edit] Career

On behalf of private equity firms^[4], Tim Parker has been head of the the British The Automobile Association during which time he incrased his own stake from £6,ooo,ooo to £40,000,000, and CEO of car-repair firm Kwik-Fit and shoemaker Clarks^[5].

After Boris Johnson's election as Mayor of London on May 1, 2008, Tim Parker was appointed First Deputy Mayor, Chief Executive of the Greater London Authority and Chairman of Transport for London. There are those who suppose his appointment was due to the affable buffon having an ambition to take on the unions in the transport system.

[edit] Union Criticism

Tim Parker distinguished himself as a ruthless cost-cutter to the extent that labour unions at the firms he restructured nicknamed him The Prince of Darkness.^[5] Tim Parker's actions as CEO of the AA triggered a campaign by unions against private equity firms culminating in a parliamentary enquiry on the private equity industry in 2007^[6].

[edit] Politics

Tim Parker started out in student politics while he was at Oxford University, where he chaired the Labour Club. At the time he was considered a moderate socialist, but never a Trotskyite. After university he worked at the Treasury under Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan's Chancellor Denis Healey. He then left politics, but returned years later as an advisor for the Conservative Party.^[3]