Talent is top of the tree for Carter Holt Harvey

By PAULA OLIVER

A spark in the eyes, intelligence, and knowing what vegetable you most resemble are the keys to helping to haul a traditional pulp and paper company into the future.

In the not-so-sexy timber industry, giants like Carter Holt Harvey are fast awakening to the fact that they must make themselves more attractive to talented young people if they are to snare them from the rich technology industry.

At the helm of Carter Holt's push for new ideas and ventures is Craig Knox, charged with discovering fresh talent outside the company, and nurturing it within the company.

He describes his job as fertilising the minds of people, and once their ideas appear on the radar screen, to unleash them to their full potential. Contributing to a change of culture in the company is part of his aim.

After being part of an unusual marketing campaign that involved shaving his head three years ago for Carter Holt's BJ Ball, Mr Knox says he now looks for passion and energy to take the company forward.

"If there's a spark in the eyes it's obvious, and if there's passion it is too," he says. "I try to find out what makes them tick, what motivates them, and honesty is very important."

Mr Knox heads up Carter Holt's i2b programme, an in-house competition where staff come up with business ideas and develop them to capture part of the company's $15 million venture capital fund.

One of the finalists in the programme, 24-year-old Simon Rupapera, is one of Mr Knox's recruits - spotted selling Christmas trees on the side of the road.

"He stood out during our recruitment process, despite being surrounded by a mindblowingly talented group," he says. "He could talk about difficult experiences in life, and how he overcame them, with complete honesty."

Mr Knox says Mr Rupapera's demonstration of entrepreneurial spirit in selling trees clinched him a job. Another woman interviewed by Mr Knox gave him a great answer to a very difficult question, and got a job.

"I always ask people if they were a vegetable, what would it be and why," Mr Knox says. "It's a way of breaking the ice, and you get to see the real person and how they react when caught off-balance."

The successful woman told him she would be a brussels sprout, because it was packed with energy, not the greatest-looking thing, but everyone knew it was around.

With a diverse background involving marketing, sales, banking and charity work, Mr Knox says the wide base helps him in his career.

"I took on a couple of sale roles at what I felt was the right time, and I fast learned that until you feel the weight of a budget on your shoulders, as a marketer you may not always understand the customer," he says.

"Relationships between companies can transcend logic at times. For instance, if I like somebody I might do business with them."

So, what vegetable would he be?

"I think a tomato, because it's so diverse," he says, "and there are multiple varieties."