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Finger on the button

Nintendo UK finance director Tom Pearce tells all

It's every computer games enthusiast's dream. What could be better than to work in an office surrounded by the latest Nintendo products and have exclusive access to every new console months before it hits the high street.
Avid 'gamers' would envy Tom Pearce's job as finance director of Nintendo UK. But although Pearce enjoys nothing better than to test out the company's latest creation, he's currently so busy that he hardly has time to pick up a console at all.
Still only 33, Pearce is comparatively young to be in such a senior position. Modestly, he says he was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. "I've always enjoyed computer games and I've always known that I wanted to get into business. But I couldn't have predicted that the two interests would come together in one job," he says.
Pearce already had a clear idea what kind of career he wanted by the time he'd reached sixth form. Naturally gifted with numbers, he opted for 'A' levels in accounting and business studies and went on to study for a degree in accounting and finance at Brighton University.
His plans to move into the business world were finally crystallised while working for an insurance company in the City.
"During my degree I took a year out to work in the business environment," he explains. "From that experience I knew I wanted to apply my accountancy skills to a commercial setting rather than go into practise.
"I wanted to be in a situation where I was in a business that interested me and where I could see the end product. I didn't like the idea of being stuck in a back office."
As soon as Pearce started his first job as a commercial assistant at music and video retailers MVC, he decided to improve his prospects by studying for the CIMA qualification.
Over the next three years, Pearce went through several job changes, including a redundancy. But he persevered with his studies and qualified in 2001. "It was quite hard work, no question about it," he recalls. "That's something I'm keen to address with members of staff now," he continues. "I'm more than aware how tough it can be to hold down a demanding job and study on top of that. But it was worth it in the end. Being a CIMA member opens up a lot of doors for you. As far as my own career was concerned it really gave me the boost I needed. Qualifying was a significant milestone for me."
In the same year as Pearce qualified, the keen computer games fan was offered the role of finance manager for Nintendo's UK office. As a completely new operation, Pearce was faced with the challenge of starting up the UK branch from scratch. "It was a huge step up," he says. "We started with a team of seven and the finance function was just me."
No mean task given the current success of Nintendo worldwide. The Japanese giant has sold 2.4 billion video games and more than 420 million units of hardware, be it Gameboys, GameCubes, Nintendo DS or the new must-have machine the Wii.
It was at this point that Pearce's training provided him with the expertise to put the new company on a solid footing. "My training helped me to see things in the round rather than in silos. This was essential as a company because we're a very tight team and we all work very closely together."
Pearce was promoted to financial and commercial controller and then to FD in a short space of time. Today, Nintendo UK has grown into a team of 22 employees responsible for sales in the region of £600 million.
More recently, Pearce's stamina has been put to the test even more than usual – thanks to the arrival of his first baby, son Jack. "It's been quite an experience. Nothing prepares you for your first baby," he says.
And for the time being at least, it looks like Pearce will be putting his Wii console to one side. "I'm struggling to get enough sleep at the moment, let alone do anything else with my spare time."

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