Rene is a sustainable development specialist with 23 years’ international experience in developing and implementing sustainable development strategies and plans; livelihood analyses; lender compliance; strategic community investment and community development plans.
Rene has worked in both the private (extractive industry) and public sector (South African Departments of Agriculture and Economic Development) on a full-time and consultancy basis. She has been responsible for establishing Community Affairs units within companies (including the associated strategies, policies, procedures and action plans required to support action on the ground) and run stakeholder engagement processes, having successfully achieved FPIC. In government Rene headed the South Africa Agribusiness Unit in the Department of Economic Development where she successfully facilitated the establishment of an agribusiness strategy and implemented a number of pilot projects in support of the strategy. A key skill across all sectors has been social impact and livelihood assessments undertaken to inform strategic community investment strategies and action plans. Rene’s work has required successful integration as a team member in multi-cultural groups, as well as leading and managing teams and projects.
Based in South Africa, Rene has worked across Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. Recent projects for Plexus include community development associated with the construction of Total’s Yemen LNG terminal and ExxonMobil’s Papua New Guinea LNG pipeline.