Nic Conner
Entrepreneur
Entreprenwr
Nic Conner is an entrepreneur, political campaigner, and media commentator. He founded Parisi Consulting, an international corporate communications company named one of 18 new PR agencies to watch by PR Week. Nic lives in the Conwy Valley with his young family.
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Nic is severely dyslexic. Despite this, Nic became the first person in Wales (possibly the UK) to use a reader and scribe for A-Level English Literature. After his A ' Levels, Nic left St. David’s College, Llandudno and built a career in the highly literate communications industry, advising businesses of all sizes—from spin-outs and start-ups to scale-ups and blue-chip companies. He has guided them through brand launches, multi-million-pound funding rounds, stock market mergers, and commercially driven multimedia marketing campaigns. He studied law at BPP Law School.
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Nic has written under his own name for publications such as The Times, the Daily Express, Conservative Home and Nation Cymru and has ghostwritten for nearly every major UK and US outlet. He has appeared on BBC's Newsnight, The Big Question, and Channel 4's Dispatches and has been interviewed on BBC News, Channel 5 News, ITN, Sky News, and radio stations including BBC Radio Wales, LBC, and BBC 5 Live. Additionally, Nic has spoken in the House of Commons, at a reception hosted by the Embassy of Spain in the United Kingdom, and as a guest speaker at various university debating societies, including those at LSE, Durham, and UCL.
Politics
Gwleidyddiaeth
Nic has been politically engaged from a young age, developing early experience in campaigning and public affairs. He has worked across a range of national and local campaigns, gaining hands-on experience in voter engagement, field operations, and political communications.
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During the 2010 General Election, he was deployed to a key marginal constituency, where he led a campaign that delivered a significant swing and a strong electoral result.
In 2016, Nic joined the Vote Leave campaign as part of its early core team. He led press conferences and events, and acted as a key liaison for ministers and stakeholders involved in the campaign, demonstrating an ability to operate at the centre of a high-profile national campaign.
Since then, Nic has maintained active engagement across the political spectrum. He regularly attends Labour in Tech events and has built close working relationships with representatives from multiple political parties. His work frequently involves advising clients on navigating the policy landscape, including senior stakeholder engagement with figures such as Ed Miliband.
Alongside his professional work, Nic has remained active in grassroots and issue-based campaigning. This includes supporting cross-party and community-led initiatives, such as engagement around Welsh agricultural protests and broader civic campaigns.
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Nic has also contributed to international political and policy development. As a Visiting Lecturer with the Leadership Institute, he delivered training programmes for political leaders and elected officials, including delegates from Nigeria’s People’s Democratic Party. He has also advised on voter engagement strategies internationally.
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In the think tank space, Nic has held roles with the Bow Group, where he contributed to policy development and remains a Senior Research Fellow. His work has focused on practical policy solutions across areas including national infrastructure, migration, and heritage.
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He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the Institute of Welsh Affairs. He is also engaged in a number of cross-sector policy and technology forums, contributing to discussions on innovation, growth, and the future of the UK economy.
Career
Gyrfa
Nic Founded Parisi Consulting, a company born out of a crisis. During a holiday in Devon, he received a call from his Managing Director. She told Nic the agency had gone into insolvency due to unpaid tax bills, leaving everyone jobless. The agency, a PR Week Top 150 firm for 19 years, had performed well, but the sole director failed to disclose financial issues. Despite the shock, he knew his clients still needed support. He immediately left Devon, driving back to North Wales, stopping only to inform clients of the situation and outline plans to continue working with them. Within 48 hours, Nic drove 1,000 miles, partnered with two former colleagues to incorporate a new business, opened a bank account, set up a website, email addresses, and a shared drive, and sent nine contracts to ten loyal clients. Parisi Consulting is now a growing and profitable company.
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This wasn’t his first experience handling a major crisis. In 2019, while working at the fintech firm Growth Street, he faced the challenge of managing communications during its unexpected closure. In 18 months, Growth Street grew its loan book by 300%, but despite raising £17.5 million just weeks earlier and being ranked 17th in The Sunday Times fastest-growing tech companies in the UK, it had to shut down operations. Through tight narrative control, the team prevented a “run on the bank,” managing to release the news on our terms—even though it meant announcing his redundancy.
He later re-joined Rangewell, a City-based financial services company; during the COVID-19 pandemic, Nic helped Rangewell play a critical role in holding HM Treasury account over the support it offered small businesses and then by working with the government to design and implement the Recovery Loan Scheme.
Before entering the world of finance, Nic worked for EN Campaigns. The social enterprise supported over 6,000 entrepreneurs transitioning from unemployment to self-employment through initiatives like the New Enterprise Allowance and the Start-Up Loan Scheme.
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Between 2011 and 2015, Nic worked for The Big Issue, where he eventually helped manage operations in London, overseeing approximately 400 vendors across the city. During this time, he contributed to the magazine, writing the "My Pitch" feature, which profiled vendors and shared their stories.
Home life
Bywyd Cartref
Nic lives in Rowen, in the Conwy Valley, with his wife and son. He was married in his wife's home village of Llanbedr-y-Cennin in 2018. His son was christened at the same church, St. Peter’s.
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Nic is of mixed heritage—Welsh, English, and Burmese. He is a Welsh language learner, dysgwr Cymraeg.
Nic and his wife Emma lived in London for 10 years. They kept in touch with Welsh culture by being active members of the London Welsh Centre. Emma even worked there for a time. After having their son with the strict COVID-19 restrictions, living in a tiny one-bed flat with both sets of families in Wales whom they couldn't visit, the 'hiraeth' became too much, and they returned to Cymru.
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Nic is a passionate supporter of our rural communities and supports the agricultural shows in the Conwy Valley. He is an Associate Member of NFU Cymru and the Conservative Rural Forum. He has written for the Times and Daily Express, raising concerns about the area, local farming and Welsh Communities. He was honoured to attend the St David's Day receptions at the Slovakian and Hungarian embassies in London before supporting the St David's celebration in Tyn-y-Groes and Llanwrest.
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Nic is involved in the sporting community in North Wales. He takes part in the local cycling time trial. He enjoys working and running in the Carneddau. He finished the Eryri Marathon in 2011. Nic and his family often enjoy the beaches and swimming on Ynys Môn.
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Having played rugby his whole life, including winning the 2005 Eryri School Cup (North Wales School’s cup), he remains an active member of Clwb Rygbi Nant Conwy, just about still playing in his late 30s—nic rows in the Welsh Coastal 'Celtic Long Boats' with Deganwy Rower.
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Nic was proud to serve as a Rifleman in the Army (TA) with F Company, 7 RIFLES. ​In 2013, Nic cycled from London to Tokyo for only £1000 for six months, living rough much of the way.
