Customer Service Manager Team Lead

• I was promoted to Department Team Lead in January 2023.
• During this time, I have promoted two members to Customer Relations Managers, thus my team consists of two Customer Engineers and three CustomerRelation Managers.
• I report directly to the Service Director in Spain.
• I ensure that an entirely new and additional work streams and processes are successfully implemented, namely:

Procurement process introduction, Quotation creation, Invoicing, Credit memo issuance, Identification of Transactional Sales opportunities based on customer interests and needs, which include contract extensions, fleet optimisations and contract renewals.

• I ensure that Overdue, Unbilled and Bad Debts do not compromise the P&L.
• I calculate Indexation of Variable fees, Base fees, and labour rates, and Bonuses, LDs, and costs, as well as proposed rates for New Sales Projects.
• I draw up legal and commercial contracts and interrogate existing contracts for various transactions.
• As Management, I chair Disciplinary Hearings on a frequent basis.

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Interim Customer Relations Manager Team Lead

• I was requested to act in the capacity of Team Leader, reporting to the team Leader in Netherlands.
• During this time, I had reshuffled the team structure, onboarded one new member, recruited one new member, and redistributed the customer database.
• I had to ensure that the team were aligned with their respective duties; ensuring that projects are performing financially to budget, encouraging the operations teams to maximise availability and minimise costs.
• I was/am still customer's primary contact for two wind farms for all commercial, contractual, and technical issues, and ensure the same is executed by my team.
• My department ensures that customers honour contract fees and Out-of-Scope invoices.
• I am active in the HSE space, supporting the teams to maintain regulatory compliance and culminate a health safety culture.
• I am actively involved to ensure IPP’s maintain GridCode Compliance.

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Customer Relations Manager

• I started as a Customer Relations Manager for EDF, Tsitsikamma Community Wind Farm and Lake Turkanain Kenya, reporting to the Customer Relations TeamLeader in Poland.
• I act as counterpart to customer's Asset Manager, and I became well-versed in Service and AvailabilityAgreements. My duties included customer liaison meetings, covering all topics ranging from SCADA, maintenance, data acquisition, troubleshooting on turbines and met masts, downtime allocations, providing quotations for Out of Scope works etc.
• I own the SAA contract; making sure that Vestas deliver accordance, and that the Client upholds their obligations.

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Head of Asset Management

Scope of Work Done: I was responsible for the sustainability and profitability of renewable energy assets owned by EDF Renewables (105MWRound 2 wind farms). This included HSE compliance, plant performance, operations and maintenance, insurance, cost, and revenue monitoring. I had 4 direct reports.

As part of the Management team, I championed employee engagement topics and supported HR, communications, and employee management in the Port Elizabeth office. To zone in on my responsibilities, I managed:

• Overall management and supervision of the wind farm (Turbines and Met Masts) delivering technical services under the TMSA (Technical and Management Services Agreement) to the SPCs (Special Purpose Companies).
• Drove key contracts (SAA with Principal Contractor, PPA with the Single Buyers Office (SBO), ImplementationAgreement with the DOE, CUOSA and Operational Agreement with Eskom Operations), and supported the SPDA(ED SED Contributions Management),
• 3rd party contracts (Aux supply with Eskom, Land lease Agreements, Security, Internet),
• Application of EMP (Environmental Management Plan) (Environmental Approvals, WTG Noise Monitoring, AlienVegetation, Bird, and Bat monitoring),
• Identification, consolidation and tracking of plant performance KPIs (Availability, Downtime, Calculation of Performance Bonus or Liquidated Damages), Production monitoring and assessment, and forecasted plant performance,
• Payments to Landowners, Service Providers, and Management of Sale to the SBO,
• Technical and commercial reporting to Investors and other stakeholders, i.e., reporting to Lenders, DOE, Board of Directors,
• Accounting – budget preparation and follow-up, and Dividends Distribution,
• Insurance and Crisis management,
• Grid Code Compliance facilitation, OHS Act compliance and championed the company Quality Management System,
• Day to day direction and coordination of Site Management activities and Onsite inspections,
• Main site findings and non-conformances related to HSE,
• Chaired Customer and Client meetings,
• System Events and interface with Grid Operator,
• Regularly engaged in Insurance audits,
• I was a member and regular participant in the SAWEA working group for IPPs.

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Site Technical Lead

Scope of Work Done: My role at Mars Inc. involved managing and leading the Engineering & Maintenance Department. I led a team of 10 direct reports (technicians and engineers). The following were my key responsibilities:

• Management of team resources; employee development, disciplinary hearings, recruitment, on-boarding, training, and supervision, inter alia,
• Responsible for OSH Act compliance and appointed as the site GRM 2,
• Actively driving sustainability of resources – energy, water, HFO and diesel,
• Responsible for asset conservation and reliability,
• Capital and Maintenance budget Management (€1million and €200k, respectively),
• Site Masterplan idealisation and strategic planning.
• Continuous Improvement projects, Value Leadership and Streamlining.
• Audit compliance – Safety, Food Safety & Quality (Woolworths, Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance Audit, XLGAPS, Phoenix Loss Prevention, FM Global).
• Capital projects include the full spectrum of project management (conceptualisation, planning, budgeting, tendering, contractor management, installation, commissioning, and handover). Some examples include the Installation of:

Diesel fire pump, metal detector - check-weigher for CCP controls, a weighbridge, Safety standards, water filtration system with automated buffer system, UPS, dust extraction system, high-speed packaging machinery, chemical store. Along with the above, I was instrumental in the warehouse floor canopy design, updating of site and factory databases (electrical and mechanical drawings, network diagrams, process flows) and cybersecurity remedial actions.

• I performed FATs in Germany on a project exceeding €600k for a new cartoner units.
• I compiled the User Requirements Specifications for a new horizontal form, fill and seal machine which was on tender at time.

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Operations Manager

Scope of Work Done:

• Promoted to Operations Manager, reporting directly to the General Unit Manager.• Responsible for 4 direct reports – Production Manager, Maintenance Engineering Manager, Quality Assurance Manager and Occupational Health and Safety Administrator, and approximately 165 wages and salary staff.
• I fulfilled the role of Maintenance Manager as well. I was responsible for the following aspects:

Operational Management - Effective running of the production facility through reporting tools such as OverallEquipment Effectiveness (OEE), Mission Directed Work Teams, KPI Dashboards and Scorecards.

• Efficient manpower utilisation (permanent, casual, and short-term contract staff).
• Compiling comprehensive monthly production and maintenance reports, with cost comparisons to budget.
• Internal and External Food Safety and Safety Audit Management – Anchor Grading, Pick and Pay, Marsh, FSSC22000.
• Liaise and maintain good working relationship with Unions.
• External Supplier Management - Involved together with Central Procurement Department to manage external onsite service providers (cleaning services, PPE rentals and raw material suppliers, waste disposal, pest control)
• Project Management – Capex project to upgrade the rolls and bun plant (R25 mil) and strategic CAPEX replacements, expansions, and modifications (planning, execution, and commissioning).
• Improvement Management through waste reduction, efficient energy and services utilisation, product quality and yield improvement, overtime reduction.
• Financial Controls - Responsible for achieving operational company targets through OPEX budget control (fixed and variable costs of services, consumables, PPE, plant maintenance, building repair and upkeep, critical spares, recipe costs, raw materials, ingredients, packaging, and labour cost control).
• People Management - Performance-based management of personnel through periodic Performance Appraisals.
• Cultivate a talent pool/succession planning through training initiatives.
• Maintain appropriate discipline within the departments, including disciplinary proceedings for transgressions of Company Disciplinary Code and Codes of Conduct. I had overseen the following:

Occupational Health and Safety - Driving SHEQFS, safe working practices, emergency response plans, accident/incident Investigations in consultation with the DOL, contractor compliance.

• Quality Assurance - Ensure compliance to all customer quality requirements, product specifications and standards.
• Production Planning and Process - Final production forecasting, raw material, ingredients, packaging stock control, baking process control, troubleshooting and optimisation, daily management of ingredient utilisation versus recipe requirement, yield deviation investigations, stock discrepancies investigations, stock verification, variance control and deviation corrections.
• Equipment Preventative Maintenance - Management of equipment reliability and performance by scheduled maintenance programmes and equipment modification.