Welcome Pieter, to the Lead family

After completing High-School I joined the South African Air Force and qualified as a Flight Engineer on Allouette III and BK117 Helicopters. I enjoyed every minute of my time in the Air Force as it complimented my sense of adventure. After 7 years in the Air Force, I decided to spread my wings and joined Oceaneering International (Underwater exploration and construction) in Aberdeen, Scotland where I worked as a ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle) Pilot Technician. It was quite an experience to work in the freezing North Sea where I worked for two years.

After returning to South Africa, I joined Fugro Survey Africa, the biggest land and offshore survey company in the world. I continued to work offshore as a ROV Pilot Technician for a further 3 years and worked on various projects around the world for the Aberdeen and Abu Dhabi offices. These projects included work in countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Tenerife, Tunisia, Qatar, Abu Dhabi and India. I was responsible for hydraulic, mechanical and electrical maintenance of the ROV systems on oil rigs, ships and construction barges.

In 2010 I traded in my sea legs and was appointed as a Workshop and Yard Coordinator in Luanda, Angola. Controlling all logistical movements of survey equipment including the shipping of equipment to and from projects. I was responsible for the maintenance of survey equipment and the maintenance of the base and coordinating the imports and exports in and out of Angola.

In 2012 I was appointed as the Base Manager/Country Representative in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. I was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the base – including finance, administration, logistics, the workshop and managing and coordinating projects which included Fugro Ship Husbandry services on Port Calls.

Unfortunately, due to the downturn of the Oil Price in 2015, my career in the Oil Industry came to an end. For the next two years, I had various interim/part time roles while I was seeking for something more permanent and spent a few months at Glendore Sand and Stone as a diesel mechanic.

In 2019 I joined KWV, one of the oldest wine and spirits companies in South Africa as a Sales Representative. I enjoyed growing the footprint of the KWV brand into key outlets in the Eastern Cape. Travelling was on my radar again and my cycle included the Port Elizabeth area, Jeffrey’s Bay, Humansdorp, St Francis, East London, Port Alfred, Cradock and Graaff Reinette.