Duncan Harvey

Managing Director

Duncan is a Managing Director at Norland Capital where he works with founders to invest in and grow businesses for the long term. He began his career in strategy consulting and corporate advisory at Accenture and Westpac.

Start in tech – In the late 1980s I discovered simple electronics kits and my father taught me how to solder components onto circuit boards. I remember making a sound-activated switch unit that turned my bedside lamp on & off when I clapped my hands. It wasn’t very reliable but I thought it was wonderful and I was hooked!

First job – When I turned 14 (the minimum working age at the time) I went around local businesses asking for after-school work. After two weekends of door-knocking, a pharmacist asked me how many people I had asked. It was more than 50 and he hired me as an assistant on the spot.

First Entrepreneurial experience – As an undergrad I started selling refurbished mobile phones on eBay with a friend. We bought second-hand and damaged phones in bulk at auctions and repaired or reconditioned them for sale. It was a lot more flexible and better paid than most student jobs.

First Investment – Buying inventory for my small business. A little later during the dot-com bubble I bought shares in software companies. As values multiplied I thought I knew what I was doing, but I didn’t and the crash was a painful lesson that investing comes with risk.

Most memorable childhood experience – Repairing all things mechanical and electronic with my father who was always reconditioning a car, appliance or computer. I loved figuring out how things worked although my enthusiasm sometimes exceeded my ability to reassemble.

Toughest experience – I have been very fortunate that most tough times have been in the pursuit of my own goals. I was first out of my depth at age 19 when I ran a franchise sales business and recruited, trained, led and managed a team of 30 sales reps. I worked 80-hour weeks and made many mistakes but also gained a handle on the 80:20 priorities and managed to build the top-performing franchise (of about a dozen) in the state.

Biggest frustration – Thinking that is individualistic, closed-minded or ‘zero-sum’, especially when accompanied by hubris. We achieve so much more with open-minded curiosity and empathy.

Biggest excitement – Learning new things, particularly in science and technology, and reading about new discoveries or inventions. The expansion of knowledge is just exciting. Also, being a dad.

University – Undergraduate degrees in Commerce (business) and Law from the University of New South Wales. I never aimed to be a lawyer but it was a great education in how to think through issues and to separate the details that matter from those that do not.

Family life – Married for almost 10 adventurous years to my wonderful, like-minded wife. We have traveled extensively together and toured through some of the most remote spots on earth. We have a daughter whom I hope to inspire with curiosity and itchy feet.

Advice to founders considering an investor – Find someone you click with who understands your business, brings something you don’t already have and wants to engage you at a deeper level than board papers and reports. It’s better to have a partner who contributes insights rather than governance.