Hayley Parsons OBE (born 22 November 1973) is a Welsh entrepreneur and investor, most notable as the founder of British financial services comparison website GoCompare.
Hayley Parsons | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 22, 1973[1] Cwmbran, Wales |
| Occupation | Businesswoman |
| Known for | Founded Gocompare.com |
Early life
editBorn and brought up in Cwmbran South Wales, Parsons began working in the insurance sector aged sixteen after leaving school.[citation needed]
Career
editIn 1992 she began working for Cardiff based Admiral Group and where she launched price comparison site Confused.com.[2]
In 2006 she left Confused.com to found Go.Compare.[2]
In 2014, Parsons joined the Entrepreneurship Panel for Wales to advise the Welsh Government on the development and promotion of entrepreneurship in Wales.[3] She is a key figure in the BeTheSpark movement, which promotes entrepreurship in Wales.[4]
She is a member of the Inspire Growth Wales investment consortium, which invests in and mentors technology-focused start-ups and businesses in Wales.[5]
Awards and recognition
editParsons was winner of the 'Woman in Business' award at the South Wales Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2009.[6] She also won the Western Mail's 'Welsh Woman in Innovation Award' in 2008, and the 'Business Leader' category in the Inspire Wales Awards 2010.[7] The awards, which are organised by the Institute of Welsh Affairs, recognise the role that Welsh residents play in encouraging active citizenship and in promoting their communities on a local, regional, national and global scale.
Parsons was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the economy in the 2012 New Year Honours.[8][9]
References
edit- ^ Companies House
- ^ a b WalesOnline (29 January 2010). "Gocompare Hayley's in a league of her own". walesonline. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- ^ Barry, Sion (8 January 2014). "Leading entrepreneurs appointed to advise Welsh Government". walesonline. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- ^ "The story so far". Be The Spark. 1 December 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- ^ "Home | Inspire Wales". www.inspirewales.com. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- ^ Barry, Sion (11 September 2009). "Best business brains receive their awards at celebration of local talent". walesonline. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- ^ Hutchinson, Clare (15 June 2010). "Awards recognise active citizenship". walesonline. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- ^ "No. 60009". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 31 December 2011. p. 12.
- ^ Dunkley, Jamie (1 July 2012). "Go Compare founder Hayley Parsons nets £3.2m dividend". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 10 March 2018.