Gisborne Engineering boss, 24, recognised for his leadership

Gisborne's Dmitrey Carruthers won the Emerging Leader of the Year category at the Robert Walters New Zealand Leadership Awards held in Auckland.

Taking greater responsibility early in his career, putting people first and embracing pressure have been keys to success for the young director of an old Gisborne company.

Dmitrey Carruthers, managing director of Gisborne Engineering, was named winner of the Emerging Leader of the Year category of the Robert Walters New Zealand Leadership Awards.

The winners were announced at a black-tie function at Auckland’s War Memorial Museum.

Carruthers, 24, one of three finalists in his category, was delighted to be recognised.

“It was a really great thing,” he said. “More than anything, one of my key takeaways was that it gave us a lot of conviction in what we’re doing here because it wasn’t just about me.

“I’m lucky enough to wear the jersey sometimes. It’s all about our people, who also believe in what we’re building.”

Carruthers has risen up the ranks at the industrial subdivision-based Gisborne Engineering. He started at 16 and progressed from the machine shop to general manager to managing director.

“I came up from the tools, and I think that’s probably been one of the really instrumental things ... being able to garner respect [from having] done it before. I haven’t just walked into a white-collar position.”

A multi-pronged approach was vital, and the success of that had allowed them to build positively for the future, he said.

“It was always the thing when I took over this business two years ago [that] we would try to do things differently ... not leading by fear or demanding results ... actually putting our people first and working off Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs [motivational theory] ... making sure people feel safe and secure first before expecting results out of them.”

Recognition, such as the young leader award, “gives our clients and our partners the confidence that we’re leading with our vision”.

It also showed other young leaders “that you don’t need a fancy postcode or much hair on your face to achieve great things”.

“You just need to have courage to step up when it feels way easier to step back.”

Carruthers was keen to help other young leaders succeed locally and nationally in his industry.

“If you can apply a lot of these theories and give the people the right support, that is powerful, right? That is worth more than a wage packet to me.”

Gisborne Engineering has been operating for 130 years.

It has changed and developed with the times, and Carruthers and wife Renee, who is commercial manager, have a modern focus while continuing the company’s tradition of serving the community.

“We’re doing a strategic shift where we’re going away from transactional relationships and moving towards strategic partnerships,” he said.

It is very much a team approach.

“She’s definitely my superpower. She runs the business alongside me.”

Carruthers is more than happy to help and encourage a young worker wanting to follow in his footsteps.

“The most important thing is stepping into responsibility earlier than when you think you’re ready, because the most amount of growth I’ve had in my career has come from pressure.

“From there, if they’re able to do that, they can focus on people and not just the profit.”

Earlier this year, Carruthers was a finalist in the Excellence in Manufacturing Leadership at the inaugural Minister for Manufacturing Awards held in Christchurch in May.