In the background in any well-functioning organisation or association is someone who acts as the glue to hold things together. In the case of ALCAS, that someone is Dominique Nogiec.
Dominique arrived in Australia in 2017 with degrees in Psychology and Environmental Management, and experience working as a journalist and an Environmental and Social consultant to the Mining industry in in sub-Saharan Africa. Her first job was with Lifecycles at a time when Tim Grant was President of ALCAS. When Tim asked Dominique to provide administrative support for ALCAS she jumped in with both feet.
We felt it was time for all the ALCAS members who have benefited from Dominique’s hard work, to get to know her.
You started your career as an Environmental and Social Consultant for the mining industry in sub-Saharan Africa. Tell us a little about that role and what you learned. As an Environmental and Social consultant I have been involved in projects involving social impact assessments, relocation plans for communities living on mines, mining industry skills gap analyses and more recently, Aboriginal waterway assessments to establish cultural significance. I have learned that authentic collaboration between stakeholders and a willingness to learn often leads to the discovery of opportunities that result in shared benefits. When did you start working at Lifecycles and what attracted you to the company? I started at Lifecycles in April last year. I was looking for my first permanent position in Australia, having recently emigrated from South Africa. I was drawn to the small, dynamic team at Lifecycles and the potential for exposure to a variety of projects focusing on sustainability. This included everything from full LCAs to projects incorporating circular economy principles. How and when did you become involved with ALCAS? Tim Grant, Lifecycles’ director, is a founding member and was President of ALCAS at the time that I joined Lifecycles. I became in involved with ALCAS through him. How has your role with ALCAS evolved over that time? I was initially tasked with bookkeeping and maintaining memberships, but also worked on coordinating last year’s symposium on Stradbroke Island, and now do some behind-the-scenes work on the website. If anyone has any ideas for content that they would like to see or might find useful on the website, they are welcome to contact me at info@alcas.asn.au. As someone outside the scientific realm of LCA, what do you think ALCAS can and does contribute? I think ALCAS offers a community of practice for LCA students and practitioners, and gives LCA legitimacy in the broader global community. It seems to be a very niche field, but there’s an incredible wealth of knowledge and resources available through ALCAS, for those looking to learn more about and gain experience in the field.