CEO PROFILE
“ I ’ M FIRST GENERATION , born of immigrant parents who came to Australia from Europe ,” explained Dean Mehmet , CEO of Hastings Deering .
“ I grew up in a multi-cultural country that represents a variety of values and ethnic backgrounds . I feel very lucky to have experienced life in such a diverse culture : It has allowed me to understand that there are a lot of different people in this world , and that we can all make a difference once we accept these differences .”
In addition to altruism and kindness , diversity seems to be a theme for Mehmet , both personally and professionally : his career has consisted more of forging paths than merely following trails .
Mehmet ’ s experience covers the “… full gamut of both functional and operational roles leading up to the more general management roles ,” he explained , which includes roles within engineering , sales , marketing , business development , and mergers and acquisitions .
As of 2014 , he was able to add another role to his impressive resume : after a mere two years as COO of Hastings Deering ( the largest Cat
dealer network in Australia ), Mehmet was promoted to CEO .
Q . What do you believe are the most important qualities of a leader ? I believe in values-based leadership : our values drive our behaviour . They are what define us and how we make decisions and they drive people to take ownership and be accountable .
8 A ugust 2015