Graduating with a BSc (Hons) in Pharmacology from the University of Manchester he developed specialism in the physiology and pathophysiology neurological and neurosurgical conditions.  His post-graduate studies were supported by the University’s Frederick Craven More Scholarship.  He presented his research at National and International Meetings.  Notably, in 1988 he received support from the Sino-British Fellowship Trust, a charity established by the late Dr Elizabeth Frankland Moore to present his research in China.

Following a brief period as a research assistant at Manchester University, he worked as a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich (1989-1991), Germany.  He is continually grateful for the support of the Royal Society Travel Fellowships and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for supporting his research.  As a von Humboldt Fellow, he is still connected to the world class research it supports today.  

His experiences working across disciplines to understand and modulate the complex systems that control brain blood flow and function were the foundations of his future career in science and health.  

Parsons joined the Migraine Research Programme at SmithKline Beecham in the late summer of September 1991 and played a leading role in the development of both commercial and investigational products for the treatment of Migraine.  His work was recognised by invitations to several International Conferences including the European Headache Forum, American Society for Headache and the American Academy of Neurology.  

He continued to build his Leadership role in supporting scientific and technical teams.  In 1999, he was appointed to a Transnational Role in Leading Stroke Research in SmithKline Beecham based in Philadelphia. 

Following the creation of GlaxoSmithKline, he moved back to the UK and led the Migraine & Stroke Research group until a re-prioritisation of research strategy led to its disbandment.  He was part of the Management Team for the Joint Venture between Shionogi and GSK which eventually led to the formation of a new healthcare company, ViiV.  

In 2004, Parsons moved to an Executive Leadership role with the Neurology & GI Centre of Excellence for Drug Discovery. In 2005 he moved to a Leadership role within the External R&D Unit (CEEDD). The CEEDD were able to bring new ways of thinking and working within risk sharing and open innovation frameworks to an established and Traditional Pharmaceutical R&D Organisation. The group were instrumental in acquiring new technology, starting new therapy areas and creating new business processes to support the acquisition of several investigational products.  

Living and working outside of the UK provided important cultural insights that helped shape approaches to working across organisational and cultural boundaries.  The importance of communication, the effective transfer of information was made a priority.  His personal experience highlighted the importance of both the psychology of decision making and the physiology of perception enabled him to create new business processes to manage technical and financial risks.  The success of this approach led to the creation of new business units within the wider company.  

Parsons recognised the importance of Leadership and creating appropriate innovation cultures were a fundamental factor in the development of effective collaborations. This was the initial impetus to investigate a variety of different communication methodologies and processes including NLP, Hypnotherapy and Coaching.

A key Philosophy of continual learning supports Parsons work as a supervisor, trainer, facilitator and mentor.  As with the seasons of nature, there is a natural cycle to learning and developing in that we grow and learn by supporting others to do the same.  Whilst at GSK he was involved in delivering internal leadership and coaching training.  Within Reciprocal Minds he has further developed and supported others in a range of programme delivery.  He co-authored a Certificate Level Programme (Association for Coaching) for people to begin their career or develop professional coach skills.  Working with Sue Jackson (http://www.whitespacecoaching.com) they created a salutogenic (health promoting) coaching programme.  He also works as a supervisor and mentor to those developing coaching/mentoring or leadership skills and was the Supervisor Lead for the Coaching Supervision Group at the Fountain Centre, Royal Surrey Foundation Trust (2016-2020).

He also works supporting peer practice groups (e.g. Special Group in Coaching Psychology, British Psychological Society).

Since 2014, Parsons has been involved with developing a coaching service at the Fountain Centre, a charity that offers a range of support to cancer patients, carers and family members.  

He is also an associate of the social enterprise, Working With Cancer and part of the coaching bursary scheme for the Transverse Myelitis Society.  

A life-long interest in promoting health and well-being led to an early career in the Pharmaceutical Industry.  His interest in the biology of “being well” developed initially from the study of martial arts.  In 2000, he joined the Philadelphia School of Korean Karate and immediately noticed the personal benefits of regular training.  On returning to the UK in 2001, he joined the UK Tang Soo (Soo Bahk) Do Federation Moo Duk Kwan (Recognised by Sports England) and continued to study and develop under the guidance and support of Grand Master Lee Kang Uk.  He became 1st Dan in 2005 and 4th Dan 2017.  Tang Soo Do is both a “hard” and “soft” martial art.  It has a very traditional approach to develop every aspect of the self and integrate mind, body, emotions and spirit (see http://www.uktsdf.org.uk) to have inner harmony and deal with external challenges. 

Regular training in Tang Soo Do provided several health benefits and also considerable opportunity for life-long learning and personal development.  Becoming an Instructor improved his leadership and communication skills in supporting people to balance breathing, power and balance in the execution of complex motor patterns.  His experience provided impetus to further develop his knowledge and understanding of how people can proactively develop healthy lifestyles. In addition to training in NLP and Hypnotherapy he studied meridian therapies (EFT, Kinesiology), clean language, eye movement integration, Biofeedback control for optimising Heart Rate Variability (Heartmath Coach) and became a Certified Medical Coach (Medical Coaching Institute, Tel Aviv) in 2015.  He graduated in 2018 from University of Hertfordshire with an MSc (distinction) in Psychology.  

Working in a variety of settings since 2008, he has supported people develop, adapt and thrive in a variety of circumstances.  He worked in private practice and as an internal Job Plus Coach at GlaxoSmithKline and developed his coaching practice and skills with training with Coaching Development and an initial accreditation (ACC) with the International Coach Federation.  In 2016 he joined the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) as the mix between coaching and mentoring better reflected his practice.  He is an EMCC Accredited coach/mentor at the Master Practitioner level.  He is currently the Health and Well-being lead for the special interest group for EMCC-UK.