From a young boy in Timaru to navy commander – and now the director of a thriving business empire – Noel Davies’ journey is like so many EO members’: extraordinary, unique, and a testament to the power of strategic thinking.

Naturally, it hasn’t always been easy. But Noel doesn’t take the easy path. Because if he did, then he wouldn’t have picked up a business during the 1988 financial crash and turned it into a Australasian hydraulic hose and fittings supplier turning over 100+ million annually and sponsoring Team NZ at America’s Cup.

For the last 20 years, EO has been a constant in Noel’s life – helping him leverage the power of the EO Education Programme and forum to grow his ideas and stay connected. 

Building a Sustainable Hydraulink

Noel didn’t go from business school to boardroom. At 16, Noel left school to join the New Zealand Navy, and became the navy’s youngest Lieutenant Commander at just 28. Here, his dedication and leadership qualities shone, and set Noel up for his next challenge: business.

It was 1986. The Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh, David Lange was PM and everyone was listening to Lionel Richie belt “Say You, Say Me”. Noel was ready to venture into the corporate world, honing his sales and management expertise. By 1988, the market had crashed – but Noel saw an opportunity. He was part of a team who was tasked with breaking up a publicly listed company, one of whose divisions was hose and fittings supplier: Hydraulink.  

“We saw the potential, so I put in an offer, 50-50 with my business partner Lee Short. At that stage, Hydraulink was turning over about $1.5 million each year. It ended up costing us about $1.3 million to buy, and we had to take on all their debt and pay all the major suppliers.”

Limited resources in those early years demanded a hands-on approach. “I spent a lot of time on the road,” says Noel. “I was basically a travelling salesman, selling products to keep the company afloat and to keep the bank at bay.”

Reaching into Australia

After a few years, the need to establish a robust distribution network became clear. “We realised that selling everything to everyone wasn't a sustainable model,” says Noel. “We had to develop a brand and a strategic network of distributors to reach a wider audience.”

So, some moves were made. Noel hired Bruce Cole (“one of the best mentors I’ve had”), communicated with suppliers to overcome an overtrading problem, adopted some brighter branding, and embraced an EO member-suggested slogan (“Best under pressure”). Soon, things were starting to look up.

Noel’s strategic vision extended beyond New Zealand’s (Aotearoa) shores and into Australia. But some cultural differences made it harder than expected. “We discovered that Australians didn’t particularly like that we were a Kiwi company, they were reluctant to change, and we had to work a lot harder to land work! In lots of cases, we just had to do deals.”

The move to branding as a joint AU-NZ operation was a smart one that helped their Australia positioning and drive growth and acquisitions. Today, Australia generates three-quarters of Hydraulink’s business, the company has moved into diverse industries like mining, and even expanded into every pacific island, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

And the whole time, a strong company culture that prioritises team wellbeing and professional development have seen the company create win after win.

Local Leader with EO

Beyond his role at Hydraulink, Noel is a strong advocate for mentorship and giving back to the business community. EO has been proof of this.

Noel was a YPO’er but having reached the magical age of 50 he had to leave. Drawn to EO as a mentor, but once the age restrictions were lifted, Noel quickly realised the value of being a full member. “The day they said I could join EO was a good day.”

“You’re never too old to learn, and EO is a great place for that. There are so many benefits in participating in the learning programme and being in a forum – it’s a group of people you can talk to about anything.”

“For budding entrepreneurs, treat EO as an investment. It certainly will pay off over time. When you first start out, it’s going to be a financial struggle. But EO could be the best decision you make. The power of the forum is huge – having this group of trusted friends to bounce ideas off and to be able to discuss anything in strict confidentiality is a huge privilege. I have friends who don’t have the ability to bounce ideas off in a trusted way – so at EO we have a huge advantage.”

Today, Noel generously shares his knowledge and experience with younger entrepreneurs, helping them navigate the challenges of starting and growing a business. “Most people get the opportunities, but so many don’t have the courage to actually take advantage of that opportunity – so my hat’s off to entrepreneurs.”

This work, and the wider impact on business, engineering, and his community that Noel has created throughout his career, earned him the prestigious recognition as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.