Key Takeaways

  • Johann Prinsloo joined Atterbury as development manager in Stellenbosch after retiring from professional rugby in 2018 and gaining experience as a quantity surveyor and construction manager.
  • Atterbury completed a fully-let 6,000sqm office and gym development at Castle Gate, housing Planet Fitness, VDT Attorneys, Mazars, and Central Developments in Pretoria’s Castle Gate precinct.
  • Johann was impressed by the palpable pride in Atterbury’s brand, exceptional teamwork between departments, and the extensive planning and attention to detail that goes into developments before construction begins.
  • His current focus involves completing projects at Richmond Park (Rubicon and We Buy Cars) while learning his role, with future aspirations to identify new development opportunities and structure deals beyond implementation.

Johann Prinsloo’s career path that led to Atterbury is a bit out of the ordinary. He played professional rugby from 2008 to 2018 and only started working in the construction industry after that. We met with Johann over a virtual cup of coffee and learnt more about his past 6 months as development manager in our Stellenbosch office, what his focus for the rest of the year will be and a little about his personal life.

You are a qualified quantity surveyor. Tell us more about the career path and education that led you to Atterbury? What made you take the step to join the company?

I finished my degree in Quantity Surveying at the University of the Free State in 2011, while I was contracted to the Springbok Sevens. I decided to retire from rugby at the end of 2018 and started working at Quanco Quantity Surveyors in Gauteng. In 2020 I sought to expand my knowledge about the industry and started working as a construction manager at Tri-Star Construction. This was really an enlightening experience connecting my quantity surveying background to implementing the construction process on site. During this time, I started doing my Honours in Construction Management and completed my Honours degree in 2021. The development industry has always intrigued me because you need to create opportunities that in future will create value. When I heard about a vacancy at Atterbury’s Stellenbosch office I literally jumped at the opportunity. Atterbury has been setting the standard in the property development industry for years and I’m honoured to be part of the Atterbury team.

 

You started 6 months ago at Atterbury as development manager – what has stood out for you so far?

There is a palpable pride in everything that is done at Atterbury. Employees are proud of the brand and the work that they are doing.

Teamwork has also stood out for me. There are so many different departments within Atterbury that are dependent on one another to make a development work and each department goes the extra mile to ensure that each project is a success.

 

Have there been any surprises, coming from a quantity surveying and principal contractor background into the property industry? What did you not expect to find here, and did?

It has been quite surprising to see the amount of work that goes into a development before construction starts. Most developments take months or years of planning and negotiation before implementation. The attention to detail at Atterbury has also stood out for me. Every small detail of a development is scrutinized and investigated to ensure that every development is unique and completed according to the Atterbury standards.

 

As development manager, what are your main priorities for now, and how do you see the role developing going forward?

Currently my main priorities are to learn as much as possible, as fast as possible, while implementing lease agreements in a manner that is beneficial to all stakeholders, nurturing relationships with tenants/clients through an understanding of their needs and expectations and managing various project teams to ensure that the developments are completed on time and within budget.

My role currently as a development manager is focused on the implementation of a project. Going forward, as my experience within the industry grows, I would like to cast my focus wider to identify new opportunities for development and structuring these deals prior to implementation.

 

How does a typical “day in your life” unfold in this new position?

Something that I enjoy in my new position is that every day is different in some way. Some days are spent mostly on site to attend site meetings and inspect the quality of work while others are spent at the office constantly going over project information and detail, coordinating the flow of information between project teams and clients and scrutinising project deliverables to see where improvements can be made.

 

Tell us a bit about your personal life – who you share your home with, your personal history of travel and family, and your interests outside of work. Do you have any interest that you are passionate about?

I share a home with my wife, Marquerite. We’ve been married for 3 years and have two dogs, Roger and Steffi, the friendliest Pitbull’s you will ever see.

I have been privileged in my previous career to have travelled the world quite extensively and visited about 16 countries during that time.  A destination that my wife and I would love to travel to next is Italy.

Outside of work I enjoy reading a lot and have always found the outdoors and the peace and quiet of spending time in nature very appealing.

I’ve always been passionate about property. My brother and I started a property business in 2010 with the aim to invest in rental properties to create a passive income for the future and we are proud of the way the business has developed over the years.

 

What will be your focus for the rest of the year?

My focus for the rest of the year will be the successful completion of my current projects, Rubicon and We Buy Cars at Richmond Park, while learning and growing as much as possible in my role as a development manager.

 

How does your expectations compare to reality?

Comparing my expectations of working at Atterbury and the reality is that I have been pleasantly surprised. Working at Atterbury is very stimulating because you are challenged to improve every single day – not just in your work but also as a human being.