Our People – Lorette Du Preez

Project and Proposal Manager, Tricoya Technologies Limited 

Joined Accsys: October 2015

What made you want to work with Accsys?

Accsys provided me with a perfect opportunity to apply my qualities and experience (largely gained from the chemical industry) to work on an exciting new Tricoya project, converting sustainable fast-growing wood into durable and dimensionally stable Tricoya® wood elements that are in turn used to produce low-maintenance and innovative Tricoya® wood end-products and construction materials.

The project is receiving a contribution from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment (through its LIFE financial instrument).

What might a typical work day or week look like for you? 

My typical work week involves significant email and laptop work, conference calls and meetings relating to new project feasibility studies, engineering evaluation, documentation, planning, project management support (for existing projects) and preparation of new projects for the company.

I often need to travel within Europe and occasionally to Asia.  Main contact is with my colleagues within Accsys, but also regularly with equipment vendors, engineering contractors, construction teams, project teams, operations teams, customers, shareholders, business development teams, company management teams and occasionally with UK environmental or planning council officers and also with the EC regarding the LIFE grant.

What do you most enjoy about being part of Accsys?

Being part of Accsys means being part of a company which is fast-moving and on the forefront of innovation, commercialising/expanding its new technologies and having a strong green and sustainable focus.

This makes every day interesting and challenging.  The work can be quite demanding at times, but I’m always surrounded by highly competent colleagues (willing to support and with a great sense of humour) and this creates a focused, productive and very pleasant work environment.

Are you proud to work here, and why?

Yes, absolutely.  Accsys is a small but fast-growing company with a large ambition – changing wood to change the world.  Who wouldn’t be proud?

What do you consider your greatest achievement since joining?

In the role of project and proposal manager within the Tricoya workstream, I’ve been a key member of the team that made the Tricoya project a reality, starting from very early engineering/feasibility studies, all the way to the achievement of having the commercial plant under construction today.