On 19th November 2024, K2 celebrated International Men’s Day. But as with International Women’s Day, for us, one day just wasn’t enough!
Keen to delve into the rich stories of as many of the business’ wonderful men as possible, we developed a campaign titled The Men of X Annos, which refers to the K2 men who have been part of the K2 Family for ten years or more. This campaign features a series of written and video interviews through which we explore the characters, the careers and the defining experiences of K2’s longest standing male employees. Today, we turn the spotlight onto Gavin Carruthers, our calm, confident and life-of-the-party Partner Relations Lead – Europe.
What’s your name, your job title and how long have you worked at K2?
Gavin Carruthers | Partner Relations Lead – Europe | 10 years
What do you think is the value of celebrating days like International Men’s Day?
To highlight topics such as mental health, toxic masculinity, the changing role of men in the modern world, 21st century sexuality, and many other things that have previously been downplayed or not been seen as masculine concerns.
The theme of IMD 2024 is positive male role models:
a) Who do you consider to be a positive male role model and why?
Barrack Obama. Best President in my lifetime, husband to the incredible Michelle, awesome father, great writer, avid historian, Civil Rights champion, music lover, and all round good guy.
b) How do you strive to be a positive male role model?
By being the best husband, father, son, brother and friend that I possibly can be, and by accepting that whilst I won’t always get it right, that won’t stop me from trying.
Men’s wellbeing is a subject that is spoken about a lot on International Men’s Day:
a) What does wellbeing mean to you?
Being physically fit, but also emotionally healthy – the latter is just as, if not more important than the former.
b) Do you think that society and businesses need to do more to promote men’s wellbeing?
100%, especially in the UK. If you look at a lot of our European cousins, they seem to have a better work/life balance. I read that napping for an hour in the middle of the day improves brain function and makes you more productive in the afternoon. UK Siestas anyone?!
c) What impact does workplace culture have on wellbeing?
A massive one. We spend an average of 3,507 days at work over the course of a lifetime, which is like, a lot, and if we’re part of a workplace culture that is positive and supportive, we’ll feel empowered and be best placed to deliver our best work. With a negative workplace culture, the opposite occurs.
What advice would you give to a young man who is just starting out in his career?
Don’t be afraid to be 100% authentic and let people see who you are. Those that always go with the crowd or don’t want to upset the apple cart can end up losing themselves. To hell with crowd – steal that apple cart and make apple pie!
What do you do on a regular basis to help you remain positive (professionally, personally or both)?
Talk and share with people, learn from others, and engage with the stories and lives of colleagues and partners.
Keen to discover more about Gavin? Take a look at his page on K2 Who, a human library from the home of human-centric mobility.