In Early May, we happily welcomed Lorette Du Preez to the European Bioplastics team. Lorette has joined us as our Head of Sustainability and Environmental Affairs and will be working from our Brussels office. Learn more about her in the portrait below.
Tea or coffee? After years of being a coffee addict, I’ve decided to put on the brakes, and switched 100% to tea last year. My preference might change again in future – nothing compares to the smell of fresh coffee in the morning.
Your favourite saying? Change is (almost) always a good thing. If I need to select a quote relating to change, it would be this: “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new” — Socrates
A life lesson you will never forget? It was a lesson from a complete stranger. Many years ago, towards the end of a business visit, I arrived at the flight check-in desk in São Paulo for my departure – but had not realised that I had to pay a tax, in cash, when leaving the country. I did not have any remaining local cash on me, and the check-in was about to close, so I was somewhat stressed. To my surprise, a complete stranger next to me handed me the money as a gift, and then hurried off to catch her flight.
This generous person taught me that a kind gesture, when crossing paths with a complete stranger, is so important and often has much more value and consequence than you may realise at that moment.
What makes you proud to do your job? The fact that we are contributing towards a positive change for society and environment… this makes me proud. It is a privilege to work with European Bioplastics and with this team of highly talented and motivated people.
A fun fact about you that few people know? My short-lived football career: when I arrived in the UK years ago, I decided to learn to play football. I started training with the Chester City Ladies football team – but my first reaction, when a ball came towards me at head-height, was always to defend using my hands rather than using my head. Obviously, the team was horrified whenever this happened. Fortunately for them I had to leave for China a few weeks later to work on a project. There, I noticed that a team of Chinese construction workers or project team members were playing football in a small courtyard on site, during lunch time each day. I started joining them and after a few days of lunch-time football, I found that I’ve developed quite some skill in dribbling… until a colleague drily pointed out that the other players were likely too wary of my steel-capped safety boots, to even get near to the ball.