James Yonge

"Once he’d worked it out on paper he contacted James Yonge, his former workmate at IPC in Sydney. Yonge now ran Wardley Australia, the merchant banking arm of Hong Kong Bank of Australia. He’d put funding together for several leading Australian and New Zealand entrepreneurs, including John Elliott, Alan Bond and Colin Reynolds, and was one of Australia’s leading merchant bankers.[13](private://read/01jrsfvkjy84rkprtbz9amfvj8/#rw-num-note-477308-556173400-13)"

"The Freightways deal exemplified the Gibbs approach. It was based on understanding the psychological drivers of the people whose help he needed; understanding not just what they wanted, but who they were. James Yonge was an investment banker with a great reputation for putting deals together, who Gibbs made sure had a lot riding on making this deal work. Yonge moved heaven and earth to sell the loan to his parent trading bank. The Freightways board comprised several proud businessmen who wanted, above all, to maintain their strong reputations in the community; after Gibbs’ initial foray into the market, they were looking for a solution that took the heat off them. His ability to read a situation so clearly had made him a brilliant negotiator. This is why those observing Gibbs most closely found him an interesting character. For all his apparent belligerence, the key to his success was his insightfulness and his empathy with those on the other side of the table."