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.
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
Operational Multiplier
When you know something’s not right and you just need that nudge – 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’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:
- Management Team Alignment and Acceleration
Working with senior leadership teams to align operational intent and accelerate execution across the organisation. - Coaching CEOs, MDs and Senior Leadership Teams at the Pressure Point
Multiply the leadership capabilities within businesses, aligning objectives, through growth and stressed situations. -
Operational Reviews and Reset Planning
Diagnosing inefficiencies, rationalising cost structures, and shaping practical recovery plans. -
Managing Stakeholder Relationships
Acting as a bridge between investors, boards, and management teams to keep alignment and trust intact. -
Management Team Effectiveness Reviews
Assessing team dynamics, alignment gaps, and execution barriers to unlock collective performance. -
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. -
Assessing the Impact of Follow-on Investment
Reviewing operational readiness to absorb new capital and drive growth.
“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.