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= James R. Parratt = James R. Parratt (1912 - 14 June 1979) was a British businessman who served as Chairman of Times Food Products Company and Chairman of the National Association of Frozen Food Producers, among other positions of relevance in the industry.

Career
James Parratt was educated at Lancing College and various universities in the UK and the continent before receiving his BA in Canterbury.

He joined Unilever as a management trainee in 1934 and spent three years with margarine and oil companies in England, Netherlands and Germany. By 1937 he was responsible, in the Supplies Department, for all chemical, timber and gift scheme purchases within the business. When war broke out he enlisted in the Royal Marines, where he rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. After the war he resumed his career with Unilever, joining Crosfields, Watsons and Gossages as their General Manager.

In 1949 he spent two years as Marketing Director of Lever’s Zeep Mij in the Netherlands before returning to England, when he became Sales Director of Hudson and Knight, later taking the post of Plans Director.

In 1953 Parratt joined Birds Eye Foods Ltd as the Marketing Director and two years later he became a Director for Smethursts Grimsby Ltd. In 1956 he became Chairman of Birds Eye Ltd. and in 1958 he took the post of Chairman at Regent Foods Ltd, a subsidiary of Birds Eye Foods Ltd.

A year later he was appointed Chairman of Times Food Products Company, a subsidiary of Birds Eye Foods Ltd. and in 1960 he was elected Chairman of the National Association of Frozen Food Producers.

Three years later he was appointed joint head of Continental Frozen Products Group in addition to chairmanship of Birds Eye Foods and in 1964 he became the President of the National Food Producers.

In 1965 he was appointed member of the re-convening Finance Committee, Chairman of the North Eastern Fish Industries Limited and Chairman of the Management Company Board, Frozen Products which had been formed under the recommendation of Birds Eye Foods Ltd and T. Wall&amp;Sons Ltd (Ice Cream).

In 1971 he received the CBE in the New Year’s Honours List.

He retired from all positions on 1 August 1972 but remained available to Foods II Co-ordination in an advisory capacity until 31 October 1972. He was succeeded by Kenneth Webb. Mr Parratt was a driving force behind the introduction of the first fish fingers in 1955. Parratt realised frozen foods were largely impulse buys, and had to be highly visible to capture consumer’s attention.

On his retirement as the Birds Eye Foods Ltd Chairman he considered his greatest achievement to be 'the development of the retail’s trade’s attitude to and means of selling frozen foods.’

James Parratt CBE died seven years after retirement in June 1979.