Richard Parker, the Labour Party candidate who is standing for the role of Mayor of the West Midlands in the May 2024 election, was the guest speaker at the latest Richardson business roundtable event.
A day before heading to Liverpool where he was attending the Labour Party Conference with Sir Keir Starmer and the Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Parker was joined by representatives from the Richardson business and a number of senior regional business figures for the lunchtime event, which was held at the Richardson office in Oldbury.
A wide range of topics were covered, including Parker's thoughts on future devolution, HS2, skills, planning reform and business support.
A former partner at accountancy firm Price Waterhouse Cooper, one of Mr Parker's projects was working with local council leaders to set up the West Midlands Combined Authority.
He left Price Waterhouse Cooper in 2016 to establish his own business working with small companies and social enterprises involved with green investment, housing initiatives and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
While the event was held under the Chatham House rule, the Express & Star did speak with Parker at the end of the session and have produced a number of articles based on that conversation which can be read below: