Marcus Hamilton , CEO of Propspeed , has been a force in the marine industry for over a decade .

By Jordan Balbresky

He came to prominence as the International Marketing Manager for FUSION Entertainment , moving up the ranks within Garmin after the acquisition of FUSION and eventually moved to Propspeed where he had a meteoric rise . At 34 , he ’ s one of the youngest CEOs in the business and a source of inspiration for professionals young and old . We sat down with him to get his perspective on the industry and career development .

Can you list a few defining moments that led you to have such a fast career ascension ? Marcus Hamilton ( MH ): The moments that felt defining were the result of lots of previous hard work , failures , opportunity and the courage to stand for what I believed to be true – to back myself like my mentors had backed me .

Having the opportunity to take on the job of International Marketing Manager at FUSION was one of those defining moments . It was the first time I had to hire , train and build a team . It helped me understand the power of company culture , the importance of a clear vision , the necessity of drive and the mantra of “ operate with urgency .” With that , our team operated well beyond our capacity , taking on the world and winning .

Launching the FUSION Apollo Series as part of a full company initiative to shift from isolated product ranges to a clear tiered companywide product brand strategy in the face of strong internal push back was a challenge . Professionally , this was the first time I had to stand my ground against a much older and more senior leadership team , a business decision that would shape the company . This moment was only made possible by my manager and mentor who backed me , but it was very transformative . Nothing was impossible after that .

In addition , moving to the U . S . to start a new opportunity as the VP Sales & Operations Americas at Propspeed impacted me deeply . It required me to leave everything I knew behind in New Zealand and start a whole new life . Letting go of the old and committing to the unknown set in motion a new level of growth , drive and capacity . This has rippled through my time at Propspeed as I have continued to expand , accelerate and drive my own development in unison with whatever business unit I was responsible for .

Lastly , a defining moment recently was sitting with the Board of Directors and openly and honestly discussing the opportunity of becoming the CEO of Propspeed . A younger version of me would have jumped at the next biggest challenge that was presented to me , but in that moment , I needed to clearly and concisely share my vision and values and get confirmation that they were aligned with the Board . As you could guess , they were . This was a moment of true alignment , intention and deep commitment like I had not had before .

What lessons have you learned that you want to pass on to other young professionals ? MH : Get mentors ( plural ) early in life and build effective processes that organically set you up to continually strive to be the best version of yourself . Mentors can come in the form of a manager , colleague , friend , subject matter expert or professional coach . As you expand your experience and knowledge , you will also need to seek new mentors that are aligned with the new version of yourself you have grown into . Understanding this and getting the timing right is key to accelerating professional and personal development .

Second would be to develop strong writing skills . As you develop through your career into management , the ability to write clearly , concisely and engagingly becomes more important . From emails to interviews , presentations to board reports , connecting with the reader and bringing them along on the journey in a meaningful way is vital to moving ahead in your career .

Lastly , welcome and respect fair competition , it will drive you to continually serve the industry and your customers better .

Is there anything you would say to yourself 10 years ago ? MH : Failure is part of the process , get comfortable with it as you will need to fail a lot to grow . Set up good internal processes to extract the value from the experiences of failing quickly and move on . As you transition into management , do not rob your team of the vital experience of failure by setting up safety nets or over supporting , it will only slow their personal and professional development .

Are there unique challenges to being such a young leader of a multinational company ? MH : Honestly , the hardest challenge for me that had the greatest positive impact was actually very personal . I had to learn how to get comfortable in my own skin . Whether you ’ re young , have a funny haircut , a different accent , strange diet – own it . You are at the table because you have something that no one else has , your perspective and combined life experiences , and you must learn how to show up authentically as you .

It can be challenging at first to connect beyond the titles of other business leaders and industry pro-

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