GD specialist: Lucía Dieste Pérez

The Royal GD specialists’ daily work is focused on expanding and sharing their extensive knowledge of animal diseases. As veterinarian at the swine department, Lucía Dieste Pérez focuses on research. Not only in the Netherlands, but more and more abroad. “I think it’s important to connect with each other.”

Lucía is originally from Zaragoza in Spain, so the international market is no stranger to her. She knows that making connections is important, especially if you want to do business with foreign partners. “Ever since I studied veterinary sciences in Spain, I’ve had lots of contacts abroad. From internships to jobs. One thing became clear: if you’re working on research, it’s always about networking and internationalisation. And that comes together at GD.”

Collaboration

That’s why she, aside from her work for Dutch clients, focuses on the international market as well. In research projects and proposals, but recently also for business development. “We are currently starting a collaboration with Spanish partners, and this is where my background comes in handy. I can remove cultural and language barriers and deepen the contacts.” It’s something that is new to her. “Of course I’m willing to help, because it is in my home country. But the need for a more international approach goes beyond that. Not only between GD and Spain, but between GD and the rest of Europe. And I’m proud to support that.”

Specialisation

While doing her specialisation in the European College of Porcine Health Management (ECPHM), she notices that foreign companies are generally aware of GD, but rarely know what really happens in Deventer. “When I tell people about the monitoring role played by GD, the laboratory, ability to do eld studies as well as the animal facility, it wows them. GD is really unique and I think it is my role to introduce people to the real GD: a decentralised company with huge amounts of data and expertise. Hopefully I can share this knowledge internationally.”

Internationalisation

For the future, Lucía wants to be a familiar face of GD, so that people know with whom they can interact. “After my specialisation, I want to de ne my pro le even further, so that people recognise me for a certain topic or research line.” Because she thinks networking and internationalisation are so important, Lucía hopes to be a bridge between different groups. By creating connections, she thinks GD will attract more interesting people from all over Europe. “I’ve realised that even though we live at close quarters in Europe, we are also very different. It’s key to recognise that and act accordingly.”