In Conversation with Richard Parker

On Wednesday 22nd of January, Downtown in Business will be hosting our ‘In Conversation with…’ series, where we will be joined by Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands.

Richard Parker was elected as Mayor of the West Midlands in 2024. He is chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). He is currently in office until May 2028.

Richard has worked across the world on housing and economic regeneration projects with the United Nations and governments across Europe and Asia. He runs his own small business in the West Midlands and works with small, medium and social enterprises on green investment, housing initiatives and on the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Richard has made a number of policy commitments during his campaign to become the West Midlands Combined Authority Mayor, including working towards a fully-integrated publicly controlled transport network, leading an all-out assault on low pay by reforming skills programmes and ensuring the Combined Authority doesn’t do business with firms who don’t pay the Real Living Wage. He has also pledged to do more on the NET Zero agenda by bringing the region’s target forward from 2041 to 2035. Richard has also committed to putting more money directly into local authority budgets and rebuilding our economy from the bottom up and the inside out.

If you would like to attend this event, please email beth.mckenna@downtowninbusiness.com