Atterbury Development Manager Pieter Olivier has just embarked on his second international island adventure with Atterbury. After a stint in Mauritius he will now run development operations in Cyprus.
How did you end up working for Atterbury and how long have you been part of the team?
Atterbury was looking for a Development Manager to manage their projects in Mauritius so in early 2014 I jumped at the opportunity to join the team. My wife, Andel, and I moved to Mauritius soon after.
How long were you there for, and which projects did you manage there?
During my two-year stay in Mauritius we completed various projects around the Bagatelle precinct including the Bagatelle Motor City and Home and Leisure centres as well as various other smaller extensions to the Mall of Mauritius.
What was it like working and living in Mauritius?
When working abroad you have to respect and try to understand the local culture and then manage your projects within this cultural and political framework, while still delivering buildings that speak to the Atterbury ethos. This can be quite challenging at times. It’s generally very easy to get used to life on an island. The natural beauty of Mauritius compensates for the lack of other things to do. Life is uncomplicated and the local pace is slow. In Mauritius you spend your time outdoors. We took up surfing, tried to kite surf and spent most of our free time close to the ocean.
What were the highlights? And what was particularly hard to get used to?
One of the highlights was definitely acting as a tour guide whenever guests arrived and luckily we had a constant stream of visitors to the island. What we missed the most about South Africa was the convenience of a good butcher and affordable South African wine.
How did your wife adapt?
Andel was a champion! She battled through the initial heat, cyclones and mosquito attacks and really found her groove when she started teaching art at the local primary school. She is very social and quickly had a group of friends around her. In the end she wanted to stay another year or two.
Clearly you are an adventurous couple, because here you go again, to another island! And you’re having your first baby there!
Yes, we’re very excited to be expecting our first baby, who’s due in February 2017. At this stage of our lives we are still very keen to explore and experience new and different things. We see this move to Cyprus as a great opportunity and a privilege to be adding value to Atterbury Cyprus’ new venture.
What are you excited about for Cyprus? And nervous about?
Cyprus has a rich and ancient history; there are many interesting historical sites, beaches and places to explore. We’re very excited about the Mediterranean cuisine and Cyprus’s proximity to other unique European destinations. I’m definitely also looking forward to kick start the projects on the island. I’m not really nervous about anything, but it takes time to settle in, build networks and relationships with the locals and specifically the project teams and this can be a little bit uncomfortable at first.
What will be your first project there?
Atterbury Cyprus has acquired two prime shopping centres in the capital city of Nicosia, ie Mall of Cyprus and Mall of Engomi. We’ll be expanding and redeveloping both these centres and hope to commence with construction early in 2017. We’re also exploring various other opportunities on the island and a greenfields retail development in Limassol might also be on the cards.
What do you hope to achieve in Cyprus?
Apart from successfully delivering the projects we set out to do, I believe our time in Cyprus will be a success if we can build positive relationships and associations with a diverse group of stakeholders on the island and in Europe, and at the same time have as much fun as possible while achieving these goals. It would also be a big bonus if we could learn to speak a little Greek.
Article Source: http://www.goldnews.com.cy/en/companies/atterbury-group-to-start-development-operations-in-cyprus