Alan Parker

Alan Parker Job: founder and senior partner, Brunswick Industry: public relations Staff: 275 Age: 44 Star in: ascendant

As with any great PR man, Alan Parker's influence far outweighs his visibility.

He founded financial PR consultancy Brunswick in 1987 and it is now accepted as the most powerful agencies in the City.

Brunswick advises around one-third of the FTSE's top 100 firms including British Airways, Marks & Spencer and Marconi on their relationship with investors.

It is also regularly called in by big-spending organisations wishing to handle image crises.

Mr Parker's trust owns 88% of Brunswick's Channel Islands holding company, Wynnstay, giving him a vice-like grip on the agency.

His personal assets of £6m, combined with a company stake worth an estimated £114m, pushed him into 268th place in the Sunday Times Rich List alongside Sir Tim Rice and Sir Martin Sorrell.

The son of former British Rail chairman Sir Peter Parker, Mr Parker is renowned as a master salesman and pulled off a notable coup earlier this year when he recruited former Bill Clinton aide James Rubin, bolstering the agency's prowess in political affairs.

However, his agency has run into some flak of late. It has been criticised for paying its junior staff badly and its slowness to expand internationally. Source: [1]