Education

Parsons read economics at Sussex and Oxford Universities and became a management consultant. He subsequently took an Master of Business Administration at London Business School and the Diploma in International Management at Hautes Etudes Commerciales, Paris and the Graduate School of Business Administration on Wall Street.

In September 2011, at a conferral ceremony at New College, Oxford, Mike was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Business Administration (Doctor of Business Administration).

Career

He retired as Chief Executive Officer in 2013. He was a founding director, share holder and managing director of a top London advertising agency (KHBB) which he and his partners sold to Saatchi & Saatchi in 1985 thus becoming a major shareholder in that company. He worked at Saatchi for five years and was Chief Operating Officer of the international network.

During this time he rationalised the Saatchi International network which involved the merging of many people businesses.

In 1990 he sold his shareholding and left the company. Parsons is Chairman of the Barchester Foundation.

He also has teamed up with Richard Branson to provide five under-privileged South African school pupils the chance to attend Stowe School. The "Branson Scholars" as they are known have their fees paid foreign

Achievements

• On 31 May 2012, Parsons was recognised for ‘Outstanding contribution by an individual’ by the HealthInvestor Awards. The judging panel, which included former health ministers Lord Ara Darzi and Lord Hutton of Furness, said that Mike Parsons was a “champion of high quality care and an influential spokesman for the sector… he demonstrates integrity, passion and a genuine desire to make a difference”. In December 2011, Parsons was voted the second most influential person in Healthcare in the United Kingdom at the HealthInvestor Power fifty awards. Jim Naughtie, Radio 4 presenter and political correspondent, presented the award and said: “Many voters once again highlighted Mike’s passion for providing high quality care, perhaps the secret of the continued success of Barchester Healthcare. In December 2010, Parsons was awarded "Care Personality of the Year" at The National Care Awards. Parsons was voted Manitoba of the Year in Over 50"s Housing Sector in the United Kingdom in 2009 (United Kingdom Over 50"s Housing Awards 2009) and again in 2011. Also in 2010, Parsons received the London Business School’s annual Alumni Achievement Award.