EMC Alumni: Tom Percival

Tom Percival came to Cambodia to research foreign real estate investments and the impact on local development as part of his PhD studies at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. 

His fascination with Cambodia resulted in an introduction to Emerging Markets Consulting (EMC), and Percival soon joined as a Consultant. 

When asked what his favorite project at EMC was, he said, “It’s difficult to pick my favorite project. The best thing about working in a consulting firm is the variety of projects and clients. I also enjoyed the mix of private sector and development sector work.” He worked with clients in the media, retail, banking, microfinance, and microinsurance sectors. Tom was also the Project Manager for a World Bank project to raise debt capital for private water suppliers, and a feasibility study for a vocational training school in Phnom Penh. On the most challenging part about working in EMC, he shared, “The wide range of projects mean that you need to learn quickly, but that’s part of the attraction of working for this type of firm.” 

Tom enjoyed trying out the latest restaurants in town with colleagues during their lunch breaks. He said, “I had a great group of friends both from EMC and outside of work. It was a tight-knit community and because the city is small it’s easy to bump into people you know in cafes and bars. I look back fondly on this now that I live in London!” He also appreciated the opportunity to travel around Cambodia, especially to unexplored places in the country. 

After EMC Tom moved to Hong Kong, joining Ipsos Business Consulting as Senior Consultant. After 3 years, he decided to move back to the UK and is now the Managing Director of B2B International’s London office. B2B International is a global full-service market research firm which specializes in researching business to business markets.  “My time at EMC helped my personal and professional development immensely,” Tom shared. He credited it to opportunities he had to manage a wide range of projects covering different sectors and research methodologies. Moreover, his experience in EMC Cambodia proved to be valuable in setting him apart from others in his job searches, post EMC.