our people

John Terwilliger, Director

Since starting Octagon Consulting in 2000, John has carried out numerous operations and finance-related interim management & consultancy assignments for Dutch & multinational clients, both privately-held and exchange-listed.

His expertise includes integrating merged or acquired business activities, restructuring business activities, and running and/or liquidating small and medium-sized companies in (pre-) bankruptcy.

His experience to-date includes wholesale, retail, manufacturing & services in the following sectors: non-food, fashion/apparel, food commodities, electronics/appliances, medical devices, distilling & construction.

Prior to Octagon Consulting, John spent 13 years in Asia with HSBC, the global banking & financial services group.

In 1989 John formed part of a small team which set up HSBC’s Group Treasury. In 1991 in Singapore, John put together and ran a central back-office to support HSBC’s Regional Treasury Centre. In 1993 in Hong Kong, John integrated the merger of HSBC Treasury, Wardley Capital Markets and CM&M Futures. As COO of HSBC Markets in Hong Kong, John project-managed Southeast Asia’s largest dealing room facility (250 positions).

In 1995 John became Head of Treasury & Capital Markets for HSBC in Thailand. In addition to boosting HSBC's market profile and profitability, he was a key contributor to developing the domestic interest rate market, introducing the HSBC Note, which became the short-term benchmark, and a 10 year baht bond, the first local bond by a foreign issuer (Asiamoney Deal of the Year).

In 1997, John moved to Europe & entrepreneurship, opening one of the Netherlands’ first Seattle-style specialty coffee stores.

John holds a BSc in Economics (Multinational Enterprise) from Wharton and the first BA in Dutch Studies from the University of Pennsylvania.