Roger Parry

Roger Parry
Born	1953 London, England
Occupation(s)	Media and technology business leader, author
Years active	1976–present
Known for	Chairmanships at Future plc, Johnston Press plc, Oxford Metrics plc, YouGov plc; co-founder of MSQ Partners and Chrysalis Vision; trustee and chairman at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre; non-executive director of Uber
Notable work	Anticipating Disruption, Delivering the Neural Nudge, The Ascent of Media, Making Cities Work, Enterprise: The leadership role, People Businesses: Managing Professional Service Firms

Roger George Parry (born 1953) is a media and technology business leader active in both Canada and the United Kingdom. He has held chairmanship roles at multiple companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, including Future plc, Johnston Press plc, Oxford Metrics plc, and YouGov plc. Parry is also a co-founder of MSQ Partners, an international marketing communications firm, as well as Chrysalis Vision, a television drama production company.

He holds a visiting fellowship at Oxford University and has authored six books focusing on media and related subjects. Parry was chairman of the trustees at Shakespeare's Globe theatre for eight years and served as a non-executive director on the UK board of Uber.

Early life

Born in London, Parry attended Sutton Grammar School for Boys before pursuing higher education at the Universities of Bristol and Oxford.

Career

Parry’s professional journey started in 1976 when he worked as a personal assistant to Charles and Maurice Saatchi, the founders of Saatchi & Saatchi. Between 1977 and 1985, he contributed as a television and radio journalist for the BBC, ITV, and LBC, appearing on programs including the Today show on BBC Radio 4 and BBC News.

In the mid-1980s, he joined McKinsey & Co as a consultant, collaborating with notable individuals such as Adair Turner and Archie Norman. He later assumed the role of Development Director at advertising agency WCRS, which eventually became The Engine Group.

Throughout the 1990s, Parry was instrumental in reorganizing Aegis Group and expanding its media buying division, Carat, where he served as President of Carat North America in 1993. From 1995 to 1998, he held the position of CEO at More Group plc, a UK-based media company.

In 1998, having originally drafted its business plan in 1987, Parry became a Trustee of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and chaired its board from 2005 until 2013. That same year, he co-founded Clear Media, one of China’s foremost outdoor advertising companies, which went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2001 with a valuation of approximately US$450 million. Parry acted as Deputy Chairman during this period.

Between 1998 and 2005, he was CEO of Clear Channel International, then recognized as the largest global operator in radio broadcasting, live entertainment, and outdoor advertising. Clear Channel underwent a US$27 billion leveraged buyout in 2006; its live entertainment segment was later rebranded as Live Nation Entertainment.

Parry chaired Johnston Press plc from 2001 to 2009, overseeing the UK’s largest regional newspaper publisher with over 300 newspapers including The Scotsman and Yorkshire Post. Simultaneously, from 2001 until 2011, he served as Chairman of magazine publisher Future plc, which manages over 100 titles such as Total Film, Digital Camera, and Xbox Magazine.

In 2007, Parry took on the role of Executive Chairman at marketing communications company Media Square plc. He led a management buyout in 2011 that transformed it into an employee-owned enterprise named MSQ Partners. In 2023, MSQ Partners was acquired by private equity firm One Equity Partners in a transaction valued at approximately £170 million.

On April 6, 2018, Parry joined the board of Uber as a non-executive director.

Activities

In February 2014, Parry collaborated with entrepreneurs Chris Wright and Luke Johnson to establish Chrysalis Vision, a company dedicated to creating television drama content. By December 2015, they successfully secured US$500,000 (approximately UK£330,000) through the crowdfunding platform CrowdCube to finance their activities.

Parry served as chairman of the Global Festival of Media held in Montreux during 2011 and 2012. In November 2010, bookmakers Paddy Power identified him as a prominent contender for the position of Chairman of the BBC Trust, a role eventually filled by Lord Patten.

In 2009, the UK's Conservative Party commissioned Parry to produce a report addressing the future landscape of local media. His recommendations regarding local television were subsequently adopted as official Government policy by then Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt. That year also saw his appointment as Chairman of the Local Media Alliance, a coalition of local newspaper organizations campaigning for reforms in UK competition law.

In 2006, Parry was associated with private equity efforts targeting the retail chain HMV and broadcaster ITV. Despite speculation, he twice refuted claims about pursuing an ITV takeover following interventions from the UK Takeover Panel.

Between 2000 and 2005, Parry was frequently cited as a potential purchaser of radio station Capital 95.8, although in 2003 the station’s CEO publicly dismissed any such offers from him.

As Chairman of Johnston Press in 2003, Parry became embroiled in controversy after the dismissal of a local newspaper editor who had been critical of MP Peter Mandelson. All involved parties denied any political interference, and the editor subsequently accepted an out-of-court settlement with Johnston Press.

That same year, Parry held the largest private stake in radio station 102.2 Jazz FM and played a decisive role in approving a hostile takeover by Guardian Media Group, despite opposition from Jazz FM’s management team.

In 1999, Parry and Mark Slater took Internet Indirect plc public on the London Stock Exchange, reaching a valuation exceeding £200 million. The company was sold to Newmedia Spark plc in 2000, with Parry and Slater reportedly earning over £3 million from the transaction.

During a competitive 1998 bid for More Group plc, Parry publicly criticized rival CEO Jean-Francois Decaux using notably blunt language.

Back in 1984, Parry was involved with pirate radio station Laser 558 and participated in consortia aiming to secure London radio licenses. He successfully acquired London Radio in 1994 but sold it just nine weeks later, realizing a profit of £5 million.

Parry was honored with a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours for his contributions to media and the arts, particularly recognizing his work with the Globe Theatre.

Publications

In July 2006, Parry authored an article for the Financial Times entitled "A Box to transform the media," which explored television's future alongside Internet developments and ignited discussions on technological convergence and broadcast television’s progression.

He has provided critiques on influential business books including Don Tapscott's Wikinomics (2007), Jeff Howe's Crowdsourcing (2008), Chris Anderson's Free (2009), Richard Brandt's biography One Click – the biography of Jeff Bezos, and Duff McDonald's The Firm.

His authored works encompass:

• Anticipating Disruption (2022)
• Delivering the Neural Nudge (2013)
• The Ascent of Media (2011)
• Making Cities Work (with George Hazel, 2004)
• Enterprise: The leadership role (2003)
• People Businesses: Managing Professional Service Firms (1991)

Personal life

Parry is wedded to Johanna Waterous.