Women in industry: our 8 inspiring women

VP Connected Car Services, Renault Group

It was Elisabeth Delval's father who introduced her to working on engines and inspired her taste for the automobile industry. She joined Renault after completing her engineering degree and since then she has led an exemplary career: Since 2015 she has led the ZOE programme, the group's highly successful clean fuel electric car. Winner of the 2019 Women in Industry Prize, today she is one of the sector's most influential women.

PDG Technilum

Agnès Delval took up the reins at Technilum, specialists in urban lighting solutions, when she became CEO at the age of 24 after her father’s death. Despite her young age, she led the artisanal company towards modernity, commitment and success, by bringing fashion, design and sustainability to public lighting. Their 100% French expertise and production is now exported around the world.

VP Safran Analytics

Ghislaine Doukhan is the director of Safran analytics, the group's Big Data department. This HEC graduate knows how to impose her style and vision: making big data a driver of power and development for this group specialising in propulsion and aeronautical equipment, space and defence. She won the 2019 Innovative Woman award at the Women in Industry Awards organised by L’Usine Nouvelle.

DG de Peugeot

Linda Jackson cut her teeth at the Rover group (Rover, Land Rover, Jaguar) in England, where she started as an intern at the age of 17. She continued her studies through an EMBA and climbed the ranks of the group, where she held various positions. She joined Citroën in 2005, where she became global director in 2014. Since 19 January 2021, she has been at the helm of the Peugeot brand.

CEO Schneider Electric France

Christel Heydeman, graduate of the École Polytechnique and the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, has been CEO of Schneider Electric France since April 2017, a role she took up at the age of 42. After holding many leadership roles at Alcatel, specifically in Human Resources and Transformation, in 2014 Christel Heydeman joined Schneider Electric, global specialist in electric and automatic equipment, as Director of Strategic Alliances. Her mission: accelerate the launch of IoT solutions.

Director of Station F

This young Iranian-American, who holds a degree in French Literature from UCLA, was spotted by Xavier Niel while transitioning into the tech industry in France. In 2015 he entrusted her with one of the largest start-up incubators in the world at just 30 years old: Station F

She is also the co-founder of Girls in Tech Paris and Girls in Tech London, the French and English branches of the American charity of the same name which helps women break into the technology sector. She is also a member of the French National Digital Council.

CEO of Momentum

Julia was a macroeconomics student when her father’s death placed her at the head of the family business, Momentum, at just 26 years old. She streamlined the group, which specialises in handling and lifting equipment, increasing the focus on CSR processes (French production, ergonomics) and developing design-led products. She substantially increased the income of the family business and in 2019 was awarded the Women in Industry award by l’Usine Nouvelle.

CEO, Segula Technologies International Department

A graduate of Sciences-Po Bordeaux with an MBA in Sourcing and Supply Chain Management, Corinne de Bilbao had a 28 year career at General Electric, including as CEO of GE France. Since 2019, she has led the international activity of Segula Technologies as its CEO.

Her goal: amplify their already-strong growth in the automobile and aeronautics sectors, as well as in naval, railway and energy engineering.
She is also committed to helping women in business and technology, and has created a women's network within the Segula group.