From SAS Soldier to Billionaire: Guy Haddleton's Journey

Guy Haddleton's journey from a self-described "lost soul" who dropped out of commerce school to building multiple billion-dollar companies proves there's no single path to success.

At 19, after seeing an ad in the NZ Herald, Haddleton joined the grueling SAS selection course. Only two of 130 candidates made it through, launching an eight-year military career that taught him the foundation of everything that followed.

"It's all about the people," Haddleton says about his SAS experience. That lesson became his business blueprint: surround yourself with exceptional talent, unite them around a clear goal, and watch extraordinary things happen.

After leaving the military, Haddleton pursued an MBA at the University of Otago despite lacking an undergraduate degree. While working on his thesis about foreign exchange risk, he stumbled onto something new: computer spreadsheets had just been invented.

He became one of the first people in the world to apply spreadsheet technology to real business problems. That early expertise planted seeds that would bloom years later.

In 1990, Haddleton founded Adaytum, a spreadsheet software company he sold for $160 million. Then he did it again, co-founding Anaplan, a cloud software firm that listed at $3 billion in 2018 and sold for $10.4 billion in 2022.

His secret wasn't technical expertise (he jokes he doesn't know bits from bytes). Instead, Haddleton focused on solving market problems and finding the perfect fit between products and customers.

Why This Inspires

Haddleton credits his entrepreneurial spirit to his mother, who imported antiques and built furniture to sell in the 1950s and 60s when women were expected to stay home. She never formally entered business but showed her son that thinking differently opens doors.

His story also challenges the myth that success requires following a straight path. Haddleton dropped out of university, spent eight years in special forces, then returned to school before finding his calling.

Today, he's investing in New Zealand companies like solar power firm Lodestone Energy and building another tech company focused on data storage. He remains passionate about helping his country think bigger about economic possibilities.

From growing up in middle-class Takapuna to building billion-dollar companies, Haddleton's journey reminds us that unconventional paths often lead to the most remarkable destinations.