Women in Industry

I started off studying marketing, before learning what an ISD (Information System Department) was during my master’s apprenticeship at the La Poste group. That’s where I realised that I would need to improve my technical skills and get involved in implementation to flourish professionally. At GRTgaz, I'm now the Product Owner of the Management API, the ISD platform which makes it possible to exchange business data internally or with certain partners. I lead a team of four people...and they're all men!

In the world of IT, there are very few of us women. I wanted to get involved, in my own way, to help more women thrive in my career, specifically by speaking with students. I wanted to explain to them that these are exciting careers and that women have a place in them, that it's possible to work in these technical roles without necessarily being a developer. I also wanted to tell them how I've flourished in this career, which is completely connected to the transformation of businesses.  

It’s important that girls in high school and college hear about them throughout their studies! Recently, I had to recruit a new developer. No women applied, even when I reached out to all my networks. Girls think it isn't for them. That’s not true. The only quality you need is passion and a desire to create, improve and innovate. IT may sound intimidating, but in reality women have a lot to bring to these fields. Not to mention that this is a sector which pays high starting salaries to entry-level recruits.

I was always drawn to science. I wanted to be an engineer, and I was interested in energy. When I started at ParisTech, there were 10 girls in my class of 100 people! But I never had any hesitations, I went for it and nobody held me back just because I was a woman. Today I'm a Project Manager at the GRTgaz RICE (Research and Innovation Center for Energy), on a team of seven engineers and two technicians. I love this role because, alongside the technical aspects, human relations are decisive.

I discovered this organisation during a 2018 talk I attended that was organised by the GRTgaz Women's Network. I was immediately drawn to the idea of working to help young women prepare for careers in industry. I wanted to set an example and inspire these young women to take the plunge. The only limitations that exist are those we set for ourselves, and this is almost always out of fear that we won't be good enough. If you have the motivation, that's the most important thing.

Yes, partially. When I was a young graduate, I remember that operational careers made me a little nervous. It’s tempting to believe, when you leave school, that this isn't made for women, before you discover that a woman has made a place for herself there anyway. Everyone contributes their piece, their vision. Today, in a group like GRTgaz, it’s easy to progress and discover new career paths. Nothing is set in stone and women are making progress. Careers should be gender neutral...that's what I say to my children now!

It has to do with my own story. In high school, I went to a career information centre and when I said to the lady there that I wanted to be an engineer, she tried to discourage me, saying that it was hard for a woman to balance this type of career with a family... I was really put off! Luckily, my parents and my teachers pushed me to follow my dreams. In 2016, once I was well-established in my career, I wanted to get involved in this area again like I had been when I was a university student. I had to start talking to girls again.

I speak at schools and colleges, and also at forums like the one for Women's Networking and Careers in which GRTgaz has participated for years now. I really want to show these young women that teamwork is important, that they shouldn’t be afraid to put themselves in the spotlight anymore. Particularly in some socially disadvantaged areas, many young people barely know any women who have careers and are in positions of power around them. If I can help just one high school girl in thirty fulfil her potential, that’s already huge!

It’s important to talk about the stereotypes we absorb starting from early childhood, especially through toys. Meccano and toy cars for boys...all that doesn’t help draw women into these careers. We also have to remember the pay gaps that exist. I try to get them to consider the deep reasons that push girls who succeed academically in secondary school to study medicine rather than engineering. We need to move past this rule pushing women to care for others and help them open up to other professional possibilities.