Management team

Ray was appointed non executive chairman of Parasol in February 2007 and provides the company with a wealth of business experience in the financial services industry.
Ray was a Director of Guardian Royal Exchange Plc and has held senior positions at The Mortgage Corporation and American Express. He is former Chairman of Crown Sports Plc, and current Chairman of international development charity, Sense International, and AIM-listed marketing events company, Elevation Events Plc. Ray is also Vice Chairman of Thinc Destini Plc, a Director of Guinness Flight Venture Capital Trust Plc and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Motor Museum.

Rob Crossland founded Parasol in April 2000 after a career in the IT industry working for a range of software companies, latterly working as a freelance Project Manager.

Under his leadership, Parasol has remained staunchly loyal to the principles of innovation, service delivery and value for money on which he based the company.
As a contractor himself, Rob spotted a gap in the market for a service to help freelancers and contractors maximise their income and minimise the hassle of being self-employed.  He went on to develop Parasol into one of the fastest growing companies in the UK before leading an MBO in November 2006. 
A pioneer for best practice and innovation in employment, Rob has steered Parasol to become one of the most respected and secure professional employers in the UK, providing support services to thousands of contractors and works with hundreds of recruitment agencies large and small.

Rob is also vice chairman of Super League rugby league club, Hull Kingston Rovers, and is also a keen Manchester City supporter, neither of which should be held against him!

Anita joined Parasol in 2006 after a successful career in senior finance roles for companies including Lastminute.com and Littlewoods Shop Direct.  Those roles followed training at Big 4 accountancy firm Ernst and Young where Anita qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1997.  

Anita is responsible for the strategic financial planning and development of the Parasol Group alongside overall responsibility for the operations of the organisation. Her remit also includes leading and managing the 30 strong team of financial professionals within Parasol.

Anita remains a keen sportswoman after being a county and national swimming champion in her younger days.  She now spends her weekends and spare time kayaking, rock climbing, snowboarding and mountain biking. She recently completed the National 3 Peaks Challenge with other Parasol colleagues, raising £10,000 for Childline.

Paul joined Parasol in Spring 2007 as sales director with a strong sales management background in the financial services, retail and franchising sectors and a remit to design and implement the strategy that will take the business to the next stage of its growth. 

Paul’s role is vital to Parasol as the company - a regular winner of Sunday Times Fast Track and Top Track Awards and a private equity-backed business - sustains and develops its financial performance under increasing legislation and the need for transparency.

Outside of the office Paul spends time helping his wife’s Alpaca breeding business and like Rob he’s a lifelong Manchester City fan.  He says he still plays 5 aside “well” and golf “badly”,  he also completed the 3 peaks mountain challenge in 23 hours and 59 minutes - leaving a testing one minute to go! This experience came in very handy when he supported his Parasol colleagues on their own 3 Peaks Challenge.

Derek has joined Parasol on secondment from KPMG. Derek has been with KPMG for over 14 years and is the director responsible for their Employment Taxes practice in the South of England.

Derek has considerable experience in providing no-nonsense advice to Umbrella companies, PSCs as well as Agencies, having operated in this arena for over 10 years.

 Derek’s role within the business is to ensure that Parasol remains compliant with the changing regulations (both tax and employment law) so that Parasol maintains its position as the leading supplier of employment solutions in the UK. Derek also sits on Parasol’s “innovation board” ensuring that new services are developed to meet the changing needs of Contractors and Agencies.

Derek regularly meets HMRC and is viewed by many as a leading industry expert.

In his free time Derek can be found SCUBA diving, skiing, climbing or hill walking; but is never far away from his Blackberry!