Anthony Cruz Bio

Advanced Materials & Plastics Specialist

As a young boy, Anthony Cruz dreamed of being a pilot. Sadly, that dream never quite materialised. Growing up in the Philippines, tragedy struck at an early age, ushering Anthony into the role of provider, though he was but a child.

“Life became particularly difficult when my Dad passed away, and things went downhill from there. Since then, my Mum single-handedly raised all of us, which was far from easy, considering we were three naughty boys. I made every effort to complete my education. Throughout uni, I had to support my studies by working on my own. It was the only viable path I could choose for my life’s journey. The significance of finishing school and achieving a measure of success holds great importance for both me and my family, particularly my mother.”

The importance of succeeding and making his family proud spurred Anthony on to complete his studies. The Philippines are known for fierce competition in the job market, so there was no guarantee that he would find a job as an electrical engineer after graduation. Luckily, he did.

“I was lucky enough to get an opportunity that led me to enter the building industry, securing a half-decent job as a starting point. About a year or so later, another opportunity presented itself for me to work in Dubai, continuing my career within the same industry.”

Dubai became Anthony’s new home for the next five years. Days were filled working for a contractor/builder where his responsibilities spanned everything from managing manpower and subcontractors to taking care of all things electrical. Free time was spent with his wife, who he met in Dubai – and later, their little daughter. The only trouble was that he was entirely dependent on his employers for work visas – and the constant pressure was taking its toll. So Mr and Mrs Cruz began looking for other countries to call home.

“We wanted to find a place where we could shape the life we desired, ensuring a brighter future for our children. The decision ultimately boiled down to Australia and Canada, and we thought that Canada was both too cold and too far away. We wanted a fresh start in a new location.”

Australia made the cut. The transition was far from easy, but with some help from an acquaintance, the Cruz managed to navigate the first few months of life Down Under. Without local experience, Anthony worked factory jobs until the opportunity for something more suitable came up. He didn’t have to wait long.

“I started working on industrial woodworking machineries with Altendorf. My responsibilities included installation of new machines, preventative maintenance and troubleshooting. I enjoyed my time there, surrounded by colleagues who eventually became good friends. The job proved to be consistently engaging, which was fantastic. It was never boring, which is great – the job kept me going for quite some time.”

In his new role as a service technician, Anthony’s technical education and problem-solving skills truly flourished. He still loves the challenge of solving mechanical puzzles and ensuring that customer machines are running optimally. Like Pierre, Marco, and all of our technicians, seeing a customer light up with satisfaction is his greatest reward.

“Being a technician is an enjoyable and challenging experience. It entails not only physical demands but also the constant testing of one’s technical expertise. The role involves delivering quality service, ensuring customer satisfaction and troubleshooting any issue that arises. I particularly relish the technical aspects of my job and strive to excel in it, establishing a strong rapport with customers. The ultimate sense of fulfillment is when customers specifically request my services, stating “Hey, I’m booking a service but only Anthony touches the machine.”

Anthony was doing many things right at Altendorf – and managers were noticing. While at one of AWISA’s exhibitions, Mr Cruz was on-site to help with machine demons and answering customer questions. He took advantage of a quiet spell to stand on the corner of the stall and hand out fliers. One of the higher-ups saw him taking the initiative, and wanted to talk. In a good way.

It just so happened that a National Area Manager had been promoted, and the company needed to fill his spot. The Managing Director, seeing Anthony’s natural people slo;;s, saw sales potential in him. It took a lot of convincing, but eventually, Anthony took the role. On one condition.

“Initially, I hesitated to take on the sales role since I had no prior experience in that field, so I said no. After some persuasion, I eventually agreed, with certain conditions. I made it clear that I would only accept the role if I could still utilise my technical expertise to assist customers and if the company didn’t hinder my ability to provide that assistance. In other words, I wanted to avoid becoming a typical pushy salesperson. My approach was to prioritise face-to-face interactions during site visits, fostering strong relationships with my customers, rather than relying on phone calls or brochures to sell products.”

After a decade with the woodworking supplier, it was time to make a switch – this time, into an entirely different industry. Headhunted by our team, Anthony agreed to an initial interview with our Managing Director. He came to the interview prepared. Meeting Pierre only confirmed everything he’d read about our Monanging Director.

“During the interview process, I had the opportunity to meet Pierre, and I was genuinely impressed by how he represented the company. His passion and approach resonated with me, as everything he shared aligned with what I had previously read about Innovync. With Pierre, what you see is what you get. This confirmation reinforced my belief that joining Innovync was the right decision, and now here I am, a part of the team.”

While our Advanced Materials and Plastics rep never got to become a pilot, he’s closer to the Aerospace industry than ever before. Working across some of the most innovative and fast-paced fields, Anthony is your go-to for composites, plastics, and high-performance materials. Call him up to pick his brains, chat, or to introduce yourself – he’s all ears!