You're In Charge, Now What?

Tom Neff

Chairman of Spencer Stuart in the United States and a member of the firm's worldwide board of directors, Tom Neff is based in New York and has been with the firm since 1976. He managed the worldwide firm from 1979 to 1987. His consulting practice focuses on CEO and other top-level recruiting, board of director consulting and searches, and succession counseling. He has conducted more than 100 CEO and more than 300 board searches. He founded the Board Services Practice in the US as well as the firm's US advisory board of prominent CEOs. He previously served as leader of the firm's Professional Practices Committee for 10 years.

Prior to joining Spencer Stuart, he was a principal with Booz Allen & Hamilton. Previously, he was the CEO of an information systems company and held a senior marketing position with TWA. He was also a management consultant with McKinsey & Company in New York and Australia.

Tom serves on the board of directors of ACE Limited (NYSE), a Bermuda-based insurance company; Hewitt Associates (NYSE), an HR and outsourcing company; and the Lord Abbett mutual funds with assets in excess of $80 billion. He previously served on the board of Macmillan for eight years until it was acquired. He also serves as a trustee of Lafayette College and previously served as chairman of the board of the Brunswick School.

Tom is co-author of a book, Lessons from the Top — The Search for America's Best Business Leaders, published by Doubleday in August 1999. His new book, You're in Charge — Now What?, will be published by Crown Business in January 2005.

Tom has an MBA from Lehigh University, a BS degree in industrial engineering from Lafayette College, and served as an officer and aide de camp in the US Army.