controversial, has left the company seven months before the end of his contract and gone back to Canada.

During his two and a half years in charge, Mr. Straw oversaw a substantial scale-down of the Purvis group, with its workforce being slashed in half to its current complement of fewer than 70 staff.

In his time there, the company reported its worst ever annual loss, of $2.8 million for fiscal 1991, and sold its core business of Purvis Distributors and its office furniture division.

Yesterday, Purvis chairman Sir John Sharpe said Mr. Straw's contract was cut short by mutual consent.

He added: "His work permit was valid until December, 1992, and his contract with us provided that his employment could be terminated either by himself or the company with three months notice.

"We mutually agreed that the sale of Purvis Distributors Ltd. and the furniture division and the downsizing of the business overall meant that his continued employment was no longer justified.

"His resignation became effective on May 31 and we parted as good friends and on good terms with mutual expressions of good wishes for the future.'' Sir John said that Mr. Straw had gone back to Canada but did not have a job waiting for him there when he left Purvis. He did not have a forwarding number for him.

Sir John defended Mr. Straw's record at Purvis, which has been criticised in the past by some of the 30 or so staff who were laid off by him or had resigned following disagreements over the way the company was being run.

Some people who lost or left their jobs, including several senior managers, accused him of being too callous and of introducing North American-style cut-throat business procedures to Bermuda.

"Don was not involved in initiating anything whatsoever in respect of Purvis Distributors, when a good offer was made by Mr. Ward Young to buy the company,'' said Sir John.

"He was involved in some restructuring of the company but that was not the reason he was brought here.'' He denied allegations by some that Mr. Straw had been brought in as a `hatchet man' to lay off staff and run down the company because it was losing money.

"He was brought in generally to increase the sales and make it a more effective operation,'' he said.

"But the little thing we call the recession came in and virtually precluded any substantial increase in sales.'' Purvis' 1992 annual results are due out later this month.

Mr. Don Straw.