Hello, I’m
I spend my days figuring out how things work — and my weekends finding somewhere new to go.
Come along for the story
01 / Home & new horizons
I live in Paarl with my wife, Ilze, and our two corgis, Monty and Maverick. Mountains, vineyards and a connection to agriculture are part of everyday life here — and part of the perspective I’ll take with me wherever I go.
Finding my feet in new places has been part of my life for a long time. I was born in Johannesburg and grew up moving across South Africa, from the Nelspruit area to KwaZulu-Natal and Strand in the Western Cape, with a return to Johannesburg before moving back to Durban. New schools and some homeschooling were part of that journey. Later came college studies in Durban, then the move to Paarl.
For the past seven years, this is where I’ve built a life and grown in my work. Now I’m ready to discover what comes next: a new chapter abroad, new people to learn from, and more of the world to explore with Ilze.
02 / The working day
I work in IT systems and automation at Core Fruit, a South African fresh-produce exporter.
Behind every shipment, there are people, decisions, documents and systems that need to line up. That’s the part of the story I’m involved in.
When the same task keeps landing on someone’s desk, I like to understand it properly. What needs to happen? Where does it get stuck? What could we take off their hands?
One example: automating the filing of proof-of-delivery documents. I built workflows to pick up attachments, match shipment references and organise the files, giving the team less repetitive admin to work through.
Less repetitive filing. More time for the work that needs a person.A process can stretch across transport planning, an export system, a spreadsheet and someone’s inbox. I spend a lot of time joining those pieces together.
I helped with a transport-management rollout, from understanding requirements and mapping data to testing and go-live. Connecting the systems helped keep transport information flowing and reduced manual handoffs.
Understand the whole journey, then work on the connections.A report that doesn’t reconcile. An app that behaves differently on another phone. A shipment record that an interface won’t accept. I enjoy tracing the problem back to something we can explain.
That often means SQL queries, records, logs, API responses, and a conversation with the people using the system. I work with users and vendors to reproduce issues, test fixes and make sure the result holds up in practice.
Find the cause. Make the fix. Check it with the people who use it.The applications are only one part of it. There are servers, networks, connectivity and backup power behind a working day, too.
My work also includes infrastructure troubleshooting and coordinating providers. During new-office planning, that meant bringing cabling, fibre, equipment, the server move and power requirements into the same conversation.
The details behind the scenes matter.It started in support.
I began in IT support at Thusa and joined Core Fruit in 2019. Over time, the questions grew from “How do we get this working?” to “How could this whole process work better?”
03 / Learning while working
Five years, one degree,
and a working life alongside it.
I completed my BSc in IT, specialising in Data Science, part-time over five years while working. Studying had to fit alongside the working day and everything else that makes up a life.
That graduation photo marks the end of those five years. It also marks the start of another chapter: I’m now working towards an MSc in Computer Science at the University of London, again alongside my job.
I enjoy the connection between the two. Work gives me practical questions to explore; studying gives me new ways to approach them. A recent university project had me exploring machine learning with agricultural shipping data — a familiar world, with a whole new set of questions.
04 / Away from the screen
A dusty motorbike, a mountain pass, and a reason to take the long way home. Adventure riding is one of my favourite ways to switch off and explore.
Good company helps. So does stopping long enough to take in the view.
I still love getting out on my mountain bike when I get the chance. Views like this make the climb worthwhile.
Ilze & me
On race day, Ilze does the hard kilometres. I take my role as chief cheerleader, flower carrier and very proud husband seriously.
Completing the Cape Marathon was one of her biggest achievements yet. That medal is hers; being there to celebrate it with her is a moment I’m very proud of.
We’re also learning a little Dutch together. That one’s very much a team effort.
A little further afield
The exploring doesn’t stop when I park the bike. I love travelling, discovering unfamiliar places, and sharing those experiences with Ilze. There’s something special about coming home with a few more stories.
Sometimes it’s a paddle through a gorge. Sometimes it’s a muddy track or a coastline that makes us stop and stare.
And sometimes it’s a slower wander: a famous view in Paris, or a quiet moment beside an Amsterdam canal. I like discovering a place at our own pace.
The four-legged part
Our two corgis. Brothers, big personalities, and a fairly reliable source of entertainment. They’re very much part of the story — and apparently in charge of who gets through the door.
I also lead our voluntary festivities committee at work. From company functions to a spontaneous braai, I enjoy helping make those shared moments happen.
And the story carries on
There’s always another story to share.
Let’s connect on LinkedIn (opens in a new tab)Jean-Pierre