Michael Parker

In securing Mike Parker as the first chairman for Liverpool’s restructured, higher powered (and so far nameless) regeneration company, city chiefs can congratulate themselves on having a corporate “heavy hitter” to work with. Mr Parker, 61, is a local boy made good: born in a Liverpool suburb, he had a 35-year career with Dow Chemical that saw him rise to chief executive. His two-year tenure at the top was troubled – overseeing a difficult acquisition amid a steep downturn – but Mr Parker returned to the UK to become group chief executive at British Nuclear Fuels, to steer it through privatisation and break-up. “I’ve lived and worked all round the world but Liverpool is where I’m from. This is a great opportunity to give something back,” says Mr Parker – who is immediately giving something back by turning down the salary offered him.