Adam Parr

Adam Parr
Parr in 2011
Born	(1965-05-26)26 May 1965
Nationality	British

Adam Parr(born 26 May 1965)is a British businessman known for his workin various fields includingFormula 1and investment toNGOs.He is the former CEO and chairman of Williams Grand Prix Holdings PLC, from November 2006 until 30 March 2012.Parr began his career working forBZWand moved toRio Tintobefore studying and practising public law. He later returned to Rio Tinto as assistant to the Chief Executive and chairman before being appointed CEO ofWilliams F1in 2006.

Since leaving Williams in 2012, Parr has completed a PhD in eighteenth-century history and literature atUniversity College London;and been involved in business and not-for-profit activities.

Early life and education

Parr was born in London as Adam Stephen de Voghelaere Parr in 1965. He attendedJesus College, Cambridge,graduating in 1987.

Williams F1

In November 2006 Parr was appointed chief executive officer of Williams F1, replacing departing CEO Chris Chapple. Parr was chairman of Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited from July 2010 to March 2012, responsible for the day-to-day running of the team, whilst Frank Williams remained Team Principal and majority shareholder of the company. Parr was known during his tenure for his green innovation – bringing hybrid technology to the fore of Williams.

Publications

In 2013, Parr released a graphic memoir, entitledThe Art of War: Five Years in Formula One,detailing his time as CEO of Williams F1.

In 2016,Simon and SchusterpublishedTotal Competition - Lessons in Strategy from Formula Oneby Parr and co-authorRoss Brawn.

In 2019,BrillpublishedThe Mandate of Heaven - Strategy, Revolution, and the First European Translation ofSunzi’s Art of War(1772).

In 2023, the Oxford Open Climate Change journal publishedThe Paradox Test in Climate Litigation,a paper in which Parr proposes a new test of legality based on a scientific assessment of threats to the human habitat.

Parr's research papers are available at theJohn Porter Centre for DiplomacyatHertford College,the University of Oxford, where he is a research associate. He is also abusiness fellowat the Smith School for Enterprise & the Environment at Oxford.

Not for profit

Parr was named chief executive ofSportedin April 2013. The foundation was set up in 2008 bySir Keith Mills,donating £10 million to inspire disadvantaged young people.Following theLondon 2012Summer Olympics, Sported became "the UK's leading sports foundation dedicated to securing the legacy of London 2012"He stood down as chief executive of Sported at the end of 2013.

Adam Parr also briefly worked with theWalk Free Foundation,which aims to eliminate modern slavery by 2020.

From 2013 to 2020, Parr was a trustee of theRiver Learning Trust,a multi-academy trust based in Oxford whose schools includeThe Cherwell School.

In 2020, Parr foundedHomeland Conservation,a charitable trust dedicated to accelerating action on climate change. The charity was originally called The Downforce Trust,a reference to the aerodynamic effect ofdownforcesought after byFormula Oneengineers, that provides speed and grip to F1 cars.

Homeland Conservation created and fundsSRI-2030,an initiative to promote theSystem of Rice Intensification,one of the top climate solutions identified byProject Drawdown.

Enterprise

Parr chairs the tech startup Oxford Semantic Technologies in 2017 which he co-founded alongside ProfessorsIan Horrocks,Bernardo Cuenca Grau, and Boris Motik of theUniversity of Oxford.

Parr has served on several boards since leavingFormula One.These includeCosworth,a high performance engineering firm based inNorthamptonwhere he was a director for seven years, stepping down in 2019.

External links

• Official website