Trevor Parker
Chair | NED | C-Suite Leader | Strategic & Operational Advisor | Interim CEO, CRO, COO
I work with senior management teams, and their leadership, to multiply their operational effectiveness – translating what they know needs to happen into plans their teams can execute and accelerate into action, whether they’re scaling for growth or navigating performance challenges.
I’m Trevor Parker, a former CEO, now an active Chair, NED, Interim and Strategic CEO Coach. As someone who’s grown a business from £5M to £150M and guided organisations through growth and crisis.
Leadership Under Pressure
I began my leadership journey as a Senior Royal Marine Commando, where I learnt to make decisions under pressure and lead teams in fluid, high-stakes “competitive” situations. There’s actually a name for it: VUCA – Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity, and it’s surprisingly accurate to describe today’s business world. Those same principles – clarity of mission, grasping the operational intent, tight alignment, and confidence in execution – still shape how I work today.
Inspired by the doctrine of von Moltke, I believe plans are important, but operational intent is everything. When people understand the operational intent behind the plan, they can adapt and deliver even in volatile conditions.
Call me old fashioned, but I still believe that everyone wants to do a good job – we just need to let them know what that looks like. When people truly grasp the operational intent, they can make the right decisions under pressure or when they’re not being supervised. They know what “good” looks like in any situation.
It’s a simple idea really, but by working with leaders on this philosophy, I support them to free up entrepreneurial spirit, creating commercially sharp teams with the confidence to perform.
“I first met Trev when he was running his Leadership School. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was about his approach, a relaxed intensity, but I knew I wanted him on my team. That gut instinct paid off. We worked and played hard for the following 15 years, growing the company to be one of the UK’s largest motor dealer groups. Trev played an essential part and was a cornerstone of the senior management team.”
Simon Dixon
Founder and CEO – Rockar.com
Trusted Strategic Advisor
The most effective leaders don’t operate in isolation. They build strategic partnerships with advisors who can serve as a sounding board for their thinking, challenge their assumptions, and provide perspective when they’re too close to the situation. This isn’t about crisis intervention or short-term fixes – it’s about having a trusted strategic alliance with someone who understands your business, your market pressures, and what you’re trying to achieve.
A critical friend and ally who has your best interests at heart through the inevitable ups and downs of executive leadership. Someone you can call when you need to think through a decision, work through a challenge, or simply get an outside perspective on what you’re carrying.
Whether you’re navigating growth opportunities, market shifts, or complex stakeholder dynamics, having an experienced advisor who’s walked similar paths can be the difference between good decisions and great ones..
“I have worked with Trevor on several occasions for over 17 years. His flair for developing sound and commercially viable strategies, sometimes visionary; will make a significant difference to any business, commercial success and the development of those within the company. He’s an excellent communicator and motivator. When you work with him, you will know that he doesn’t panic and can lead and give sound advice under pressure and in adverse situations.”
Simon Tennyson
Chief Executive – Motorway Direct (AA Warranty)
Operational Multiplier
When you know something needs a nudge in the right direction – that’s where I come in.
I work with you to multiply your strategic instinct and operational effectiveness by translating what you know needs to happen into plans your team can actually execute. Through structured 1-1 workshops and management team alignment sessions, we work through a planning framework that explores your options, tests your assumptions, and develops scenarios your team can act on with confidence.
You maintain the vision and authority. You make the strategic decisions. You lead your team. I accelerate your planning process. You can read more about my philosophy and approach here
You’re not hiring me because you can’t do it yourself. Whether working with you individually or with your senior team, you’re hiring me because you want to multiply capability across your organisation.
“My team consists of some very bright, highly intelligent individuals, but I was struggling to get them all focused upon a joint Mission. I had seen some of the results which Trev was achieving in similar businesses and so approached him. He ran several team events for me over six months, focusing my team’s minds on our mission, attending regular performance reviews and strategy sessions. We had great success with this approach and resulted in a much more aligned and accountable leadership team with clear KPIs. Critically this resulted in a significant profit improvement across the participating business units. If you want to get your team focused upon a joint mission, I highly recommend you consider using Trev to support you.”
Mike Linter
Global Head of Tax and Legal Services UK, and Vice Chair KPMG UK
What I Do
As Chair, NED, Interim or Strategic Coach, I work with Senior leadership teams to multiply their strategic experience and operational knowledge. This includes:
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- Strategic Planning and Execution Framework Translating high-level strategic vision into actionable operational plans that management teams can execute effectively and measure progress against.
- Management Team Alignment and Acceleration Working with senior leadership teams to align operational intent, clarify accountabilities, and accelerate execution across the organisation.
- Strategic Coach Working with CEOs and MDs to multiply their strategic know-how and operational effectiveness by translating what they know needs to happen into plans their teams can actually execute.
- Strategic Advisory Partnership Providing ongoing strategic counsel as a trusted sounding board and critical friend through growth phases, market transitions, and complex decision-making periods.
- Strategic Leadership Coaching at Scale Multiplying the leadership capabilities within management teams, aligning objectives and accelerating performance during growth phases and strategic transitions.
- Operational Excellence and Growth Planning Identifying efficiency opportunities, optimising resource allocation, and building frameworks for sustainable expansion.
- Strategic Stakeholder Alignment Acting as a bridge between investors, boards, and management teams to maintain momentum and shared vision during growth phases.
- Management Team Performance Optimisation Assessing team dynamics and execution capabilities to unlock collective performance and strategic delivery.
- Interim CEO Providing executive leadership during transitions, driving strategic clarity and operational focus while building management team confidence and stakeholder alignment.
- Interim CRO Managing turnaround programmes, restoring margin and confidence, and delivering credible change under time pressure.
- Interim COO Streamlining operations, removing inefficiencies, and building infrastructure for scalable, profitable growth.
- Plugging Short-term Skills Gaps Providing expert, hands-on leadership to navigate urgent operational challenges or fill executive voids.
- Growth Investment Readiness Reviewing operational capacity to absorb new capital effectively and maximise growth potential.
“Trevor’s deep operational skill set and strong people management capabilities resulted in him identifying the root cause of multiple internal challenges and drawing up a short-term plan – which the whole management team supported – to deliver an improvement in near term results… indeed, he’s now considered Harwood’s ‘go-to’ operator for this work across the whole group portfolio.”
Jerry Wilson
Partner Harwood Capital
A Track Record That Delivers
I’ve restored 15% margin in 90 days at a £50m PE-backed firm, rebuilt trust at three portfolio companies without leadership churn, and helped stabilise businesses facing covenant stress, operational inefficiencies, and board misalignment.
I’ve grown a business from £5M to £150M through acquisition and a “buy and build” strategy over a five-year period and experienced the growing pains of such accelerated growth. I’ve rescued a failing business in dire circumstances, under threat of withdrawal of banking facilities and insolvency, turning it around, repaying all bank debt, and exiting the business profitably.
My work brings traction and earns confidence.
“We come across many executives as a private equity investor, and many make little impact. We have used Trevor on several occasions where we want to see results. He delivers in navigating difficult managerial issues and focuses the team on what really counts.”
Ian Currie
Founder and Managing Partner – Seneca Partners
Don’t just take it from me.
Read what clients say about working with me →
Let’s Talk
If you’re leading a team at the pressure point, dealing with growing pains, investor pressure, or facing operational drift, I can help. I offer a 15-minute Call—no slides, no fluff, just straight talk.