Hamish Hogben
General Manager, evo hair
Management Acceleration Program
INSEAD Business School, France, 2014

As the adage goes, there’s no place like home. After studying in France and working in China and Thailand, Hamish Hogben knew there’s was no better place to do business – and raise a family – than South Australia. Hear how he ended up back in SA, “saving ordinary humans from themselves” at evo.

Life abroad

A bit over eight years ago I completed the Management Acceleration Program at INSEAD Business School in France. Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to experience a broad range of work experiences which have allowed me to develop and strengthen my leadership skills. At the time I completed the Management Acceleration Program, I was working in the automotive industry at TI Automotive. After working in China and Thailand in sales and operational roles for over eight years, I returned to Adelaide with a wealth of international business knowledge and exposure to diverse cultures and working experiences. With a passion for international business and a study experience of a lifetime under my belt, I had the confidence and drive to grow as a leader. Living and working overseas was a great experience and something I’d encourage everyone to do if the opportunity presents. I was lucky enough to meet my Swedish wife while living in China and we now have two daughters who get to experience an Australian and Swedish upbringing. Living and working overseas was incredibly rewarding, but it also made me realise my passion for supporting South Australian business. Adelaide was voted Australia’s most liveable city for a reason – you can’t find a better place to bring up a family.

Lonsdale to Marleston 

When the automotive industry closed down, I moved on to Mumme Tools as General Manager of operations. Mumme Tools was a locally-owned family business, forging hand tools in Lonsdale. This role allowed me to apply many of the skills and tools I learnt during my study at INSEAD. As a manufacturing business, I was able to focus on implementing lean practices and contribute to positive change, which improved the operations and culture of the business. While this was challenging at times, it was a great learning experience that set me up with the skills and confidence to move into a completely different industry with evo hair. evo is a family-owned and operated South Australian business manufacturing and distributing professional salon hair and beauty products to approximately 35 countries across the world. Founded in 2005 with headquarters in Marleston, evo is a full concept professional haircare brand, made for stylists, and sold in all good hair salons. evo also provides stylist education courses for product knowledge, cutting, colouring, up-styling and digital assets to its distributors and educators globally. The majority of evo’s products are manufactured in Australia, with sales in Australia/NZ and exports to Europe and North America via local distributors.

Navigating tough times

The last two years has been challenging but rewarding in the experiences I have received in navigating through these unprecedented times. We have seen massive cost pressures, raw material shortages, extended shipping lead times and challenging workforces. This has resulted in a strong focus on leading evo’s high-performing team and supporting them with training and development, as well as growth opportunities. With new and innovative ways of working due to COVID, it has become even more important to communicate with your team and find ways to keep them engaged and motivated. With the unpredictable future we are experiencing, we have needed to find alternative supply chains and, wherever possible, targeted the Australian supply base with surprising results. There has been a need to pivot quickly to ensure we continue to support our distributors with stock. While navigating these challenges has been a big learning curve at times, it’s also been very rewarding. With the experiences I gained from my study at INSEAD and roles I have had since, it has allowed me to equip myself with the skills I need to grow as a leader and to support evo’s continued growth. With evo’s mission of saving ordinary humans from themselves, I look forward to what the coming years will bring and to continue making a difference globally and in our South Australian community.