“I wanted Sam to take it on while I am still here to support him. He has the board, the leadership team and the family behind him.”
Sam Hamilton has served on the board since 2019 and is the company’s technical director.
“HamiltonJet is a family business, and will remain that way,” he said.
“Bill built this company on resourcefulness, trustworthy engineering, resilience and looking after people.
“Those values have carried us for more than 80 years, and can be seen in the way people here design, make and back our products every day.”
Sam Hamilton. Photo / LinkedIn
Sam Hamilton was grateful his father was staying on while he learned the new role.
“I intend to keep building on what he, the generations before him, and everyone working here today have made,” he said.
HamiltonJet remains privately owned, mainly by the Hamilton family, and has remained in New Zealand ownership throughout its history despite interest from overseas.
Managing director Ben Reed said the transition reflected the long-term thinking that sets the company apart.
“Four generations of family leadership is rare anywhere in the world,” he said.
HamiltonJet’s 7500sq m factory in Christchurch.
“Our customers, our distributors and our people value the stability that comes with it.
“Family ownership lets us plan in decades, not quarters, and that is exactly how we intend to keep operating.”
HamiltonJet designs and manufactures waterjets for commercial, defence, rescue and patrol vessels, supported by regional offices in Singapore, Seattle, London and Perth and a global distributor network.
The company’s mission is “to continually optimise performance, efficiency and safety through innovation” by delivering “the latest in efficient, robust, high-performance propulsion technology”.