Areas of Expertise
- Strategic and interpersonal negotiations – influence, persuasion, and conflict resolution
- Stakeholder management, relationship building & trust-based communication
- Difficult conversations, feedback, and cross-generational dialogue
- Organizational culture and psychological safety as enablers of open negotiation climates
- Coaching for executive presence, negotiation confidence, and interpersonal impact
- Translating DEI and well-being insights into inclusive communication and influence strategies
Evidence of Expertise
Neal has more than a decade of experience helping leaders and teams navigate complex conversations, align diverse stakeholders, and negotiate effectively across cultural and organizational boundaries. As Founder of the Humanaissance Initiative, he has worked with clients such as Citibank, Publicis Groupe, Temasek Foundation, GMO, Igloo Insurance, CFA Society Singapore, AON, and Singapore Management University, as well as HR-tech startups across Asia and Europe. He designs interventions that strengthen negotiation capability, empathy, and trust.
His practice operates across three levels
- Organizational: Building negotiation-ready cultures that foster transparency, voice, and collaborative problem-solving.
- Interpersonal: Enhancing influence and stakeholder alignment through conversational mastery and evidence-based frameworks for dialogue.
- Individual: Coaching leaders to handle conflict, manage difficult conversations, and lead with confidence, composure, and empathy.
Drawing on his PhD in Organizational Behaviour (SMU), Neal integrates negotiation theory, behavioral science, and creative storytelling to design learning experiences that drive real behavioral change. His earlier career in commercial negotiations at Rio Tinto and South32 gives him a pragmatic, results-oriented perspective that bridges theory and business outcomes.
Employment History & Credentials
- Founder & Organizational Consultant, Humanaissance Initiative Pte Ltd (Singapore)
- Senior Consultant, Internal Consulting Group (ICG)
- Grant-winning Research Fellow, National University of Singapore : Trust, Voice & Workplace Negotiation Research
- Award-winning Lecturer, Singapore Management University: Negotiations, Ethics & Wellbeing
- Post-Commercial Negotiations, South32 Pte Ltd
- Strategic Sourcing, Rio Tinto Pte Ltd
- Downstream Oil Research, Wood Mackenzie
Education & Certifications
- PhD in Organizational Behavior | Singapore Management University
- Eng (Electronic Engineering & Economics) | Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)
- Mindfulness-Based Strategic Awareness Training (MBSAT)
- Member: American Psychological Association, Academy of Management, EGOS
Client Sectors
Banking & Financial Services · Professional Services · Technology & HR-Tech · Higher Education · Public Sector · Resources & Mining · Media and Communications
Sample Engagements
- Designed and delivered sessions on difficult conversations across generations (Citibank) and negotiating your presence and managing imposter syndrome (Publicis Groupe)
- Built trust and negotiation frameworks to enhance cross-functional collaboration for CFA Society Singapore, Igloo Insurance, and HR-tech scale-ups
- Coached leaders on relational influence and negotiation presence in partnership with leadership-development firms across Asia and Europe
- Advised start-ups on commercial negotiation culture and aligning people strategy with market-facing outcomes
- Designed and facilitated sessions for journalists (Institute of Policy Studies, Asia Journalism Fellows) on negotiating truth, bias, and narrative integrity in reporting
- Co-leading research on trust repair and voice behavior at NUS Business School, translating findings into negotiation and influence training for leaders
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