
Tell us about yourself and what you do?
Bula, I am Rhenaud Hette, from France. I arrived in Fiji in 2020 and I love the Fijian experience so far. I am working as the Fiji representative for New Caledonia Trade & Invest. Our association aims to assist New Caledonian companies to export in the Pacific as well as assist Fijian companies to export to New Caledonian, since I am based here in Fiji. We help companies in every sector of activity, from startups to big companies. The main team is based in New Caledonia. Before working for NCT&I, I was finishing my Master in Business Engineering while working part time for 2 years at the Economic Development Agency of the city of Marseille. After that I took a few months off to work in a surf hostel in Porto (Portugal) and I got to surf everyday, which was an amazing experience.
How would you describe your personality?
I would say I am someone calm, social and always excited to go an adventure, especially when unplanned. I value a lot time spent with friends and close ones, as well as time spent alone to refocus and recenter myself. I like sports, such as surfing, hiking, boxfit and basically any activities related to water. I would consider myself as someone funny, always joking, but the English speaking part tends to soften this side of me as it is less natural than in French.
What’s your favourite quote?
“Happiness is only real when shared” from Christopher McCandless / Into the Wild.
For me this quote has always made sense and every exciting experience will always feel much better when shared with close ones. Of course the experiences and encounters made alone are awesome and pretty exciting too, but the ones made with friends will just simply make better memories in the end.
What is the most important lesson you learnt in life?
As my current job is my first full time job, I would say to have a good personal / work life balance. We tend to get trapped into the work rush and deadlines circle, but at the end of the journey, what usually fulfils us and creates memories is the time spent with loved ones and our personal projects. So even during a busy work period, always take some time for yourself.
How would you describe Greenhouse Coworking?
Greenhouse brings me a very comfy and cozy working environment. I am actually hosted at the French Embassy of Suva but my team is based in New Caledonia, so I am working remotely with them everyday. Being at Greenhouse allows me to be surrounded with independent workers, consultants and entrepreneurs. It tends to boost my productivity and make work more enjoyable (especially as I have a tendency to be unproductive and distracted when working from home). The events are also very interesting when it comes to networking and professional advice.