Straightforward advice
When Honda entered into an agreement with a large, global IT supplier, Director Carolyn McMahon decided to change tack. “We had been using CIE Legal throughout various parts of our organisation and I was really happy with their service. We would usually engage a specialist firm but this time I instructed Andrew Thompson at CIE Legal to assist”.
Commercial, as well as legal perspective
Andrew worked alongside Carolyn throughout the negotiation, providing strategic advice and enabling Carolyn to negotiate effectively with the supplier. “What was great about Andrew” says Carolyn, “is that he knew exactly where we were in the process and how we should handle each element. He came at it not just from a legal perspective but he took a commercial view too.”
Andrew’s background as a consultant in Accenture’s Communications and High Tech division came to the fore when helping Honda negotiate the right deal for them. Says Carolyn, “the negotiation was quite time sensitive and time wasn’t on our side. Andrew took it in his stride. He turned things around quickly and understood the pressure Honda was under”. The result was a workable agreement that protected Honda’s interests in this business-critical project.
Navigating the bumps in the road
“There were inevitably a few bumps in the road once the service was in place” says Carolyn “and I had no hesitation in turning to Andrew again when this happened. One of the refreshing things about him is that he is very pragmatic and practical. So he not only gave me a list of points to consider in my dealings with the vendor but also prioritised them so that I knew which ones I could concede and which were ‘must-have’s.”
