Meet Daniel Pienaar

Joining the Rationale team in September, Daniel Pienaar has made the move from South Africa and is now based out of our Wellington office.

Daniel has a strong background in investment management, analysis, sustainable energy and infrastructure, making him the perfect fit for the work we do at Rationale – both in Wellington and around the country.

Daniel spent eight years at the University of Pretoria studying the complimentary disciplines of civil engineering, transportation engineering and economics before taking a project management role at an economic development consultancy. His career has involved a range of nationally significant projects, including:

• Leading the development and submission of a high-profile business case proposal to the South African National Treasury which has gone on to secure funding for the construction of hydrogen energy centres of excellence.
• Facilitating engagement between the public and private sectors to launch a project which will deploy several heavy-duty hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles in South Africa.
• Managed projects within the air cargo logistics and software as a service fields.
• Contributed to the successful publication of an article in Energy Economics.

Originally from the town of Edenvale in South Africa’s north-east, Daniel moved to New Zealand in 2022 with his partner Erin. The challenge of making it on their own in a new country and the outdoor opportunities drew them to Aotearoa, something which they are already making full use of in their weekends.

A keen sports fan, Daniel supports the Lions back home and has made the smooth transition to a long-suffering Hurricanes fan in NZ.

In his spare time, he enjoys challenging physical activities and is always searching for something new to do. Currently, he is working on his chess skills, taking up spearfishing, and is making a return to competitive martial arts, having previously trained in karate, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and mixed martial arts. He is also part of a small team of researchers in economics, focusing on green energy and climate change.

Daniel has hit the ground running and is working closely with Wellington Mark Frew, while supporting the Rationale team across the country.

Visit our People page to find out more about Daniel and the rest of the Rationale Team.

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