Peter Nixon

Peter Nixon is an avid ice hockey fan from Montreal and as such you can consider Peter’s career through three periods. Recruited straight out of university, Peter’s first period was spent auditing local, national and international companies for the world’s leading audit and assurance firm, PwC (C&L). This period included stints in Montreal, Geneva and Hong Kong and led to considerable understanding of financial disclosure, corporate governance and effective leadership. Peter’s work during the 80’s and 90’s was recognised by an offer of partnership, training awards, and a Fellowship from the Hong Kong Institute of Accountants.

Peter’s second period was spent speaking, training and advising leaders in over 60 countries around the world. Based in Hong Kong and operating globally through Potential Ltd., Peter helped thousands of leaders from hundreds of the best private and public sector organisations globally. During this time, Peter conducted research and developed specific solutions outlined in his first four books all available on Amazon. His work was recognised by repeated client engagements, invitations to speak and train around the world, and a TED Talk at HKUST.

Peter’s third period, kicked off by covid, now sees him helping the next generation of leaders achieve optimal outcomes amidst the mistrust, power politics, and AI upheavals threatening the world. His current solutions include The Nixon Method, The Change Leaders’s Toolkit and The Six Exposures of Change. His current work is recognised with two more books, a lifetime achievement award from the Asia HR Community and an adjunct professorship at the Asian Institute of Technology. He now works through Potential Dialogue.

 

International Witness to Change

Before and after Hong Kong’s draconian covid lockdown, Peter has travelled the world regularly to conduct workshops and facilitate corporate retreats for leading private and public organisations. Most of Peter’s private sector clients include the world’s largest banks, professional firms, and MNC’s. Public sector scenarios have included: HK-China, Iran-US, Rohingya-Malaysia-Thailand, Israel-Palestine, Aceh-Java, Tibet-China, Sunni-Shia, hostage negotiations, MH370/17, KK Earthquake, development vs conservation debates in Bali, Phuket, Penang, etc.

The Stories

Peter became a widower when his wife succumbed to cancer in 2023. He survived the world’s worst pandemic lockdown and democracy protests in HK,. He has been detained in Bahrain and Tehran, deported from Austria and India, hit by lightning in a small plane north of the Arctic Circle, survived roadside shootings in Aceh, bombings in Pakistan, 7/7 in London, was in NY’s WTC a month before 9/11, slept with lions in South Africa, survived bear intrusions and forest fires in Northern Alberta (as fire fighter), almost broke his neck playing ice hockey, meditated with both HH the Dalai Lama and the late Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh, smuggled a short-wave radio into the Soviet Union and cell phones to Burmese monks, gave witness to the importance of dialogue in Soweto, Auschwitz, Dacau, Palestine, The Killing Fields, slums in Colombo, Manila and Bangkok; he witnessed simultaneous fire, healthcare, and teacher strikes in Quebec’s separatist uprisings of the 1970s; joined two million Hong Kongers requesting change in 2019, taught students that witnessed the Tiananmen Square protests, interviewed protesters in HK’s 2014 Occupy Movement, failed to reverse the CCP censor of the Chinese translation of his best-selling book Dialogue Gap; had attendees tear-gassed on the way to his book launch during HK’s 2019 riots; celebrated with the world at the Olympics, World Scout Jamboree, World Cup Football, and Rugby finals; led his small business through the ravages of the East/West decoupling, Covid Pandemic, Democracy Protests, Trade War, Asian Currency Crisis, Bird Flu, SARS, the 2008 Recession and more; helped a Palestinian befriend an Israeli while negotiating to buy a camel while surrounded by one million worshippers at India’s thousand year old Pushkar Mela, where Peter dipped his foot into Pushkar Lake during November’s full moon to achieve eternal salvation but he is still waiting.

Philosophy

At the heart of Peter’s work is the concept of Potentialism, Peter’s belief that “we have a duty to realise our potential while helping others realise theirs”. Potentialism is based on John Nash’s Nobel Prize winning economics which challenged Adam Smith’s Free Hand Theory to suggest what’s best for the markets is not what’s best for the individual but rather what’s best for the individual AND the other party. Dialogue is needed to find the optimal outcome (Nash’s Equilibrium Point) for stakeholders in our divided world. Peter believes “the quality of our dialogues today determines the quality of our future tomorrow”.

Recognitions

• 2014 TEDx Talk at HKUST is still viewed regularly

• 2021 introduction as honorary advisor to the Nobel Peace Center where he co-led the team creating the Ignitor Fellowship Programme, a global programme for master’s students to connect with Nobel Laureates and Global Thought Leaders to further their use of dialogue, peace and sustainability in their studies and future work.

• 2019 with the Asia HR Community Award for “his key role in building human capital expertise and high impact individuals and organisations through innovative and pathbreaking consultative work and people engagement”.

• Founding course director Financial Controllers Programme, HKICPA

• Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of CPA’s

• Former licensed member of the Canadian Institute of CPA’s

• degrees from Bishop’s (BBA), McGill (GDPA), and Leicester Universities (MSc)

• Scholarship from University of Alberta

• Continuing studies at Harvard, INSEAD and Fielding.

• Canadian Chief Scout (1st TMR), and Knight of Tamara.

• Colgate President’s Award (winner), HKMA Training Award (nominee),

• Top 10 Change Management Consulting Services Companies in APAC (2019, HR Tech Outlook Magazine)

• Best Independent Change Management Consultant (2018, HK Business Awards, APAC Insider Magazine).

• Peter was also in the first group of accredited mediators recognised by the HK Intl Arbitration Center.

Media Appearances

• He has appeared on TEDx, CNBC, Discovery Channel, TV5, TVB, & Media Corp. SCMP

Peter Nixon FCPA, trainer, speaker, consultant

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