Pivot Consulting

tom low

Tom is the founder of Pivot Consulting, a San Francisco Bay Area based consulting firm that provides international development, operations, finance and other services to non-profits and social enterprises.

From 2015-2019, Tom served as the Chief Financial Officer of Playworks, a $50 million national nonprofit organization based in Oakland.  Tom led the Finance, IT, HR, Legal and Operations functions. Playworks serves over 1,300 schools and over 700,000 kids.  He was named a finalist of the 2018 Nonprofit CFO of the Year for his work at Playworks.

Prior to Playworks, Tom served as the Chief Operating Officer of Thrive Networks, following a five-year term on the Board of Directors. Tom was instrumental in transforming the organization, formerly known as East Meets West, from a single country focused humanitarian organization to a global innovation platform based on collaboration, partnerships and mergers. Before coming on staff, Tom was a partner with Bridges SF LLC, an executive search firm specializing in the placement of senior executives.

Tom is a venture capital-backed start-up veteran who raised over $100 million in capital. His industry experience spans retail, internet, professional services, and nonprofits. He was the founding Chief Financial Officer of Restoration Hardware, where he was a member of a three-person executive team that expanded the company from four stores to 100 stores with a direct mail and e-commerce business. The business grew to over $300 million in revenue. When Tom took Restoration Hardware public in 1998, it was among the most successful IPOs of that year. Tom has also been CFO of Ask.com (fka Ask Jeeves) and Safeway.com.

Tom graduated from the University of California, Davis with a B.S. degree in Renewable Natural Resources and holds an M.B.A. in Finance from the Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine, where he won the Arthur Andersen & Co. Entrepreneur of the Year award. Tom is a Board Member of the San Francisco Bay Area Region of Reading Partners and was a volunteer audit committee member of the NewSchools Venture Fund, a Portfolio Advisor for ICA/Fund Goods Jobs, a Board Member and Treasurer of St. Paul's Episcopal School in Oakland, and a founding Board Member of the NorCal Chapter of Ascend.

He is a seasoned international traveler who has run operations across the USA and Canada, plus ten Asian and African countries.

Tom is also a dedicated father and husband, raising three kids as global citizens. In his free time, he is a foodie, A’s, Warriors, Raiders, and Gonzaga basketball fan, and an outdoor adventurer. He loves fishing, kayaking, skiing and riding one of his six bikes. Tom volunteered as an assistant coach of the Richmond Composite High School Mountain Bike team.