Since graduating in 2016, I have developed and sold four novel inventions to international corporations. I am now the Executive Chairman of Black Heron Trust, my family office which owns significant shareholdings in Shear Edge, Halo Agtech, & Eden Manuka Honey. As for my personal life, I married Brittany Williams, my wife whom I met at Bishop Julius Hall of Residence (now Arcadia) and have travelled to 24 countries.
What excites you most about your role at Shear Edge?
Shear Edge is an incredibly exciting company which utilizes sheep’s wool in polymers to manufacture products. The company received international recognition for producing the world’s first wool catamaran, in fact I have my own personal one! I love the diversity of engineering in Shear Edge as I get the opportunity to build and design my own suite of hard good products. From cooler bins, to kayaks, and even a humble knife, we get to manufacture world class products over and over again.
A lot of children dream of being an inventor. Did your career evolve the way you expected it to?
My career path as an inventor has been unorthodox to say the least. Really my path as an inventor was born from having a passion to solve real world problems with science and technology. You start with a problem you desperately want to solve, until it becomes an obsession, and you spend every waking moment engineering the perfect solution. Invention is incredibly challenging as you are solving problems with no clear solution, and face challenges which often no one can help you with. At the same time, I believe that invention is one of the most rewarding pursuits in life, as you have the unique opportunity to shape the world and have a real impact on people’s lives.
Any big career highlights to date?
(1) Selling four businesses and creating inventions that improve the world, (2) Being named in Forbes 30 under 30 list, (3) Being a finalist for Young New Zealander of the Year, (4) Being selected on the National Board of the SPCA, and (5) Receiving several doctoral scholarships from the University of Canterbury.
In 2020, you were named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Asia (Industry, Manufacturing & Energy). What was your reaction to this?
Being named in Forbes 30 under 30 came as a shock. I was incredibly humbled by being selected for such a prestigious award. The humility was magnified when I attended my first conference in Botswana, Africa, where I was surrounded by 200 likeminded entrepreneurs all dedicating their lives to building incredible businesses. The entire experience really motivated me to push harder and not rest on my laurels in New Zealand.
Looking back on your time at UC, what memories and experiences have stayed with you?
I met my best mate Alex Ingrosso & my wife Brittany Williams at the University of Canterbury. Both Alex & Brittany have been incredibly supportive over the years and have been instrumental to my success in business. I also have fond memories of the University Centre for Entrepreneurship which played a pivotal role in encouraging me to pursue a career as an entrepreneur/inventor. Finally, I have fond memories of studying a range of different topics, which at the time seemed unrelated to a specific career but have proved incredibly helpful.
What advice would you offer to new students looking to come and study here at UC?
The University of Canterbury is an incredible institute which has a great balance of study and fun. There are few places in the world where you can go surfing in the morning and skiing in the afternoon. I believe that Christchurch is an excellent place to learn, grow and build a career path. Now more than ever Christchurch is home to incredibly innovative companies that are changing the world.
Check out Logan Williams, one of our Innovators profiles in our 150th Alumni Showcase here.
