Ex-CEO stopped giving second job salary to charity on day he left Gov

Monday 09 August 2021

Charlie Parker stopped giving his salary earned as a Non-Executive Director of New River to charity on the day he left the Government in March, the company’s annual report has revealed.

The real estate investment trust’s accounts for 2020, published in June, reports that Mr Parker waived his fee for his second job via ‘salary sacrifice’ to charity from his appointment date on 10 September 2020 to 31 March this year...the same day he officially left his role as Government CEO.

The news of Mr Parker’s appointment with New River ultimately led to his departure from the island’s civil service, when it emerged that his official employer, the States’ Employment Board, had not formally authorised it.

Defending the second role at the time, Chief Minister Senator John Le Fondré said that Mr Parker did not wish to receive a salary and would be part of New River’s salary sacrifice scheme, which would see his £50,000 annual fee instead shared among a range of charities of his choice. 

This, Senator Le Fondré said, would include “some in Jersey”.

Pictured: New River REIT specialising in buying, managing and developing retail and leisure assets across the UK, including shopping centres and pubs.

Although Mr Parker received no remuneration last year, he will be paid £25,000 in 2021, according to the report. 

Meanwhile, his fellow non-executive directors will all be paid a basic salary of £50,000, except Chairwoman of the board, Baroness Margaret Ford, who will be paid £160,000.

The annual report adds that all New River directors paid 20% of their fees to charity between May and August last year.

Mr Parker remotely attended all four meetings that he was eligible to attend in 2020 after joining the board on 14 September. The report adds that he was also “provided with a series of video conference meetings with members of the ExCo and finance team."

Mr Parker’s profile in the report says: “During his time as Chief Executive [of the Government], he set up and led an ambitious programme to transform and modernise Jersey’s public services.

“He was also responsible for and led a range of large-scale capital infrastructure and regeneration projects including a major new office development, a new hospital campus and the preparation of a £400m mixed use leisure, conference and family entertainment complex.”

Express understands this is the first reference to the redevelopment of Fort Regent costing £400m. 

Pictured: The new hospital, Fort Regent and the new Government HQ - three major capital projects Mr Parker has been involved in.

Mr Parker resigned as Chief Executive last November in response to the significant public and political reaction to the news of his unapproved non-executive role at New River.

It emerged, however, that he had received verbal approval from the Chief Minister. SEB later formally backed the arrangement.

It was later revealed that a press release which erroneously said that the Council of Ministers had also approved the second role had been signed off by Mr Parker himself.

In May, the Government's 2020 Annual Report and Accounts showed that he received a £500,000 ‘golden goodbye' to avert legal action over his early departure.

Signed just two weeks after the row over his second job at the real estate broke out, the deal set the official end date of Mr Parker’s employment on 31 December 2020. A second, fixed-term contract was then put in place for 8 January to 31 March 2021.

Mr Parker received his pay-out on 29 January 2021.

Despite officially leaving Government more than four months ago, Mr Parker continues to make the headlines. 

On Friday, Express revealed that the Attorney General was forced to write to the Chief Minister last year in a bid to halt the former CEO’s plan to move the Law Officers’ Department to Broad Street – and potentially sell off Morier House.