User:AndrewRT/Mark Parsons (banker) (2)

Mark Alistair Parsons (b. October 1961) is a British banker, who has been the Chief Executive of the Coventry Building Society, the tenth largest mortgage lender in the UK, since July 2014.

Parsons grew up in Newcastle upon Tyne, attending the Royal Grammar School. He studied Economics at Sheffield University and after graduation worked at Abbey Life. He moved to Abbey National Building Society in 1986 where he was promoted to a branch network director, Retail Finance Director, Personnel Director, Regional Director and then Head of Investor Relations. While at Abbey National he qualified with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants where he has since become a fellow.

Mark Parsons moved to PricewaterhouseCoopers in April 2004 to join their consulting practice. However, 18 months later Parsons was persuaded back into retail banking, joining Barclays Bank in September 2005 to turn around its mortgage business. He successfully turned it into a growing business, and during this time served for a year as Deputy Chairman of the Council of Mortgage Lenders. In December 2010, he was promoted to Deputy Chief Executive of Barclays UK Retail & Business Banking and then Chief Financial Officer in 2013.

Between 2005 and 2010 he was a partner in Ingenious Film Partners, which was accused by the UK Tax authorities as being a tax avoidance scheme. Parsons was one of over 70 members who invested an average of over £5m each in the vehicle.

In July 2014 he left Barclays when he was appointed as Chief Executive of Coventry Building Society.

Since 2011 Parsons has been a governor of the Royal Latin School, an Academy School (previously a Grammar School) founded in 1423 in Buckinghamshire. Since 2012 he has also served as a Non-executive Director of the Motability Operations Group plc where he was a member of the Audit and Remuneration Committees. Motability Operations works with the Motability charity to operate a financing scheme for disabled people who receive government support for accessible travel needs. Although Motability Operations is owned by the four largest UK banks as a private company, it is set up so that all profits are retained for the benefit of scheme members.