Meet Business Controlling Manager at Release by Scatec

Hailing from the Western Cape, South Africa, Francois Du Plessis, Business Controlling Manager at Release by Scatec, takes us through his career journey.

Growing up, Francois has always had a knack for travelling, it is something that he was exposed to from a young age – from travelling locally in his home country or travelling abroad.

His passion for travelling summed up his decision to pursue his studies in Accounting.

The role of being an Accountant comes with a lot of flexibility with being able to work anywhere in the world. Today, Francois is a certified Chattered Accountant, CA(SA). Upon finishing his articles, globetrotting then began for Francois as he packed his bags and relocated to the Netherlands.

“What people may not know is that Accounting is a very broad field, you are presented with a lot of exciting opportunities and projects in your line of work,” he adds. Francois openly shared that in his line of work he interacts with people a lot, “I don’t have the typical Accountant job where I am couped up in an office crunching numbers all day,” he says.

Francois had been previously working for an organisation that was advocating for sustainable practices, around the time when conversations around The Paris Agreement were gradually picking up.

When the opportunity at Release presented itself, Francois found the decision easy. The company’s concept of delivering renewable energy in a simple way greatly appealed to him, especially considering the positive impact on the markets Release targets.

One of his reflections was that coming into the business he did not realise the magnitude of the work that Release does until he had conversations with people that had families based in the North. “We often get lost in our day-today tasks and focus on getting things done that we hardly ever take a step back admire the work that we do and the impact that it has on people,” he shares.

The solution that Release presents is a true testament to changing people’s lives in communities that had previously been subjected to unstable power supply.

Francois shared that Release is still a young company and it gives you the exposure that one needs for one’s personal and career advancement because there is always something that needs to get done. “Release gives you that space to add value and if you add value, you also feel valued,” Francois shares.

In closing, Francois shared his admiration for the leadership team at Release for being able to hit the ground running with getting projects in the pipeline and running. Giving a special mention to his manager, “we have a great working relationship, I prefer referring to him as my coach as opposed to mentor– he lets me figure things out on my own instead of spoon feeding me. It shows the belief he has in me.”