Tom Nevins was referred to me by a business acquaintance who was aware of his reputation in the Japanese market.

I approached Tom in October 1998 to assist us with employment issues in our recently acquired Japanese operation. His confident and positive approach to dealing with complex and sensitive issues made him stand out from the alternative sources of advice.

After some telephone discussion of the issues, my colleague and I met with Tom in Tokyo and finalised the strategy and tactics that we would use to deal with the issues which confronted us. Tom coached us to ensure that each of us maintained a firm and consistent approach in the meetings that we would hold with employees.

It was a solid and well executed plan. Tom also met with some of the individuals involved to assist in finalising and implementing severance packages that were fair to employees and within the reasonable limits set by our company. Within a few weeks of our first meeting with Tom, we had successfully completed the restructuring exercise.

Although this was a comparatively small project, completed quickly and successfully, there were real risks of a negative outcome for our company if the matter had not been handled so well. We were delighted with the efficient and effective advice and service provided by Tom Nevins.

Lindsay Mann
(Former) Chief Executive Officer, AXA Investment Managers Hong Kong
(Current) Chief Executive Officer, CMG First State Singapore
April 2001