Michael Parker- Looking back on 25 years of BYPY

Photo credit: Birmingham Post. Supplied by Matt Walker

This year, we are celebrating 25 years of the iconic BYPY Awards. The awards highlight the exceptional talent and skills of young professionals across Greater Birmingham, while also giving the overall winners the chance to open doors in their careers that they might not otherwise have been able to open.

As part of these celebrations, we spoke to the overall winners of the awards, dating right back to the very first winner in 2001 to last year's winner.

Meet Michael Parker, our 2017 BYPY Awards winner.

Michael is a Chartered Management Consultant and Associate Director at Arup with expertise in Business Change, Governance, Performance Measurement, Benefits Realisation, Communications, PMO Setup and Delivery, Organisational Strategy and Operating Model Design.

Michael is passionate about driving the benefits of change and optimising the use of data to measure performance and actively inform decision-making. He has worked in the construction industry for almost 20 years, delivering transformation programmes for a range of public and private sector organisations. 

Read all about how Michael felt about winning BYPY below..

What category did you win?

I won the Property and Construction category and overall winner in 2017.

Tell us about yourself…

I'm a Chartered Management Consultant leading the Midlands ‘People and Organisations’ Advisory team at Arup. I support clients through business change, performance improvement, and organisational design, with a strong track record of delivering transformation programmes – particularly in the transport sector.

My career in consultancy has included roles at EY, AECOM, and Gleeds, as well as a senior client-side position as Director of Operations at the UK’s largest housing association.

Beyond consultancy, I’m passionate about addressing the region’s construction skills gap. I founded ‘Construction Careers LIVE!’, an event designed to inspire school pupils through employer-led activities, and I’ve supported the West Midlands Combined Authority as professional services lead on its Construction Skills Taskforce.

Outside of work, I run regularly and in 2019 founded "Run Brum Crew," a socially-driven England Athletics running group based in Birmingham city centre. I'm a dedicated rugby and football fan (and a long-suffering Burnley supporter!) with two energetic young boys who keep me busy at home.

Where were you working at the time of winning your award?

When I won the award, I was working for Gleeds in Birmingham.

What does your career look like now?

Today, I continue my journey in the city, now as part of the team at Arup.

Since winning BYPY, I’ve become a Chartered Management Consultant and now lead the ‘People and Organisations’ practice within the Midlands Advisory leadership team at Arup.

Over the past eight years, I’ve taken on two new roles – first moving to London to become Director of Operations at Clarion Housing Group, and in 2023 returning to Birmingham to join Arup, an organisation I’ve long respected and admired.

What did winning BYPY do for your career? Have you had any other big achievements or award wins since?

Winning BYPY was a catalyst – it gave me the confidence to pursue change in areas I truly cared about, along with a platform that opened doors I hadn’t imagined.

After serving as an Ambassador for LoveBrum and supporting under-resourced pupils through the Access Project, I felt driven to make a meaningful contribution. It led to an invitation from Mayor Andy Street and his team to join the WMCA Construction Skills Taskforce, where I led on professional services and went on to create the event ‘Construction Careers LIVE!’ in partnership with Millennium Point, WMCA, CITB and several employers. The initiative was later recognised by the APM Awards for Inspiration.

Since winning BYPY, I’ve been fortunate to receive further recognition, including 'Employee of the Year' at the City of Birmingham Business Awards, being named a UK Construction Week Role Model at the NEC, and most recently, becoming a finalist for Project Management Doctorate of the Year at the APM Education & Research Awards.

The opportunity to study at Aston Business School as part of the BYPY prize enabled me to pursue a doctorate that has significantly shaped my career. My thesis explored performance measurement and improvement in major projects, with a focus on soft skills – an area of growing importance. The insight and depth of understanding I gained has proven invaluable in my professional work.

Why should people apply for GBYPY?

GBYPY is an opportunity to be recognised and celebrated for the impact you're making. Whether you're leading a team, delivering a project, supporting others, or driving change through community and charity work, these awards showcase the difference young people are making across Greater Birmingham. If that sounds like you – or someone you know – it’s well worth applying. GBYPY could be your next big step forward.

How did winning BYPY feel?

Winning BYPY was unexpected and deeply humbling, especially given the calibre of the other finalists – it was an inspiring moment that sparked a strong desire to use the recognition to make a meaningful contribution.