Craig Smith

Craig “Smithy” Smith has spent more than three decades in the global wool industry, but the most important lesson he has learned has very little to do with wool: people before product.

Raised on a sheep and cattle farm in Central Hawke’s Bay, Smithy left school at 17 and began his career in the bin room of a Wrightson wool store in Napier. Since then, his career has taken him from New Zealand woolsheds and manufacturing floors to textile mills, brands and boardrooms across Europe and Asia.

Today, as General Manager of Devold New Zealand, Smithy works directly with New Zealand merino growers and across an international supply chain connecting farm, fibre, manufacturing, brand and consumer.

Throughout that journey, Smithy has developed a simple philosophy: great businesses are built on great relationships. Build trust first. Listen. Understand the person on the other side of the table. Do what you say you are going to do, and never underestimate the value of turning up.

For Smithy, People Before Product isn’t a marketing slogan. It is a business philosophy shaped by more than 30 years of working with farmers, factory teams, international customers and global brands — and a belief that when businesses genuinely invest in people, stronger relationships, better products and better commercial outcomes follow.

Craig will be speaking on the Business as a Force for Good panel at the Better Business Day at Wao Summit 2026.