Pickard explained that family considerations had led to the decision, which follows the offer of a position on the firm’s executive committee as chairman of global corporate practice and regional head of Latin America and Canada.
Accepting the position, he said, would have entailed a prolonged stay at his current post in Japan - a move that ran counter to relocation plans he had announced internally last year. Pickard will instead end his term with the company on amicable terms and return to North America to reconnect with friends and relatives.
Asia-Pacific president Alan Vandermolen said that while a successor had yet be chosen, three candidates were under consideration, with one involved in active negotiation.
Pickard took on his current role in 2005, moving to Tokyo to establish the firm’s Japan operation after two years in Seoul as managing director of Edelman Korea. The Tokyo office currently supports a staff of 30 and works with clients such as Northwest Airlines, Johnson & Johnson, Nissan, Microsoft and Nomura Securities.
