I fell into it by chance, because I’d always wanted to become a vet. I didn’t get into the preparatory classes that I wanted to enter after high school. I opted for a Diplôme d’études universitaires générales (DEUG) in sciences, mainly biology, chemistry and mathematics. It was during these two years that I discovered chemistry, and I really liked it. So, I went on to do a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, followed by a master’s degree and a postgraduate diploma (DESS) in chemistry.
Your organization´s key sector and mission:
STMicroelectronics’ mission is to design and manufacture electronic chips.
With one of the broadest product portfolios in the industry, STMicroelectronics is a global leader whose semiconductors make a positive contribution to our daily lives, now and in the future. In fact, ST chips are everywhere… ST is an international Franco-Italian company, partly owned by the French and Italian governments. We employ over 50,000 people worldwide, including more than 11,000 in France.
Please tell us briefly about your role in the company/organization:
Since 2021, I’ve been asked to work on the operational management of the Micro-PackS platform. This platform, set up in collaboration with ST and other manufacturers and academics in the region, enables local companies to benefit from equipment and technical expertise to develop their prototypes. This position allowed me to develop my network, by meeting local companies, academics and research laboratories, as well as all the institutions that subsidise R&D projects. At ST, I therefore moved on to innovation, ecosystems and collaborative projects.
Together with my teams, I’m responsible for instilling a culture of innovation in all employees at the Rousset site and showing that innovation is within everyone’s reach. To do this, we work on training employees and setting up innovation methodologies and programmes. We also have a FabLab with equipment (3D printers, laser cutters, etc.) and specialists in electronic programming. It is open to all ST employees to help them with their professional or personal projects and to encourage their creativity.
Finally, I’m also the coordinator of the Research Tax Credit (CIR) and of collaborative projects subsidised under various programmes.
Your interest in STEM
Your studies
I didn’t really have any major challenges during my higher education. It happened more before my studies, when I had to repeat a high school year. The hardest part for me was accepting that I was repeating a year, because I hadn’t really faced failure before and realized that it didn’t just happen to other people. When I saw my friends moving on and me repeating a year, I swore it would never happen to me again. So, my big challenge was to succeed in my studies.
I didn’t feel it too much during my studies, but from the start of my professional life I was confronted with a very masculine and somewhat boorish environment. The advice I can give is to have a great ability to adapt, to be benevolent and to accept that you’re a woman. You shouldn’t try to be equal to men in the way you work, manage and behave. Women have management skills that I think are more intelligent than men’s, and that is an asset in a male environment. We approach situations and conflicts differently, with less ego, and we don’t need to assert ourselves in the same way as men.
So, you have to know how to assert yourself as a woman. I often tell the young women I meet that being kind isn’t the same as being weak, and that you have to be sensitive and assertive at the same time. You also need to have self-confidence, while retaining a degree of self-doubt, so that you can listen to others and take a step back from things. My final piece of advice is to feel legitimate, even in situations where you don’t necessarily have the technical skills, but you still have the ability to understand and think things through to come up with a criticism or an interesting idea.
You at work
We have many programmes within ST. In HR, we have a department dedicated to CSR and inclusion issues. In terms of gender equality, there is also an annual budget that is negotiated to compensate for salaries that are perceived to be lower. We also have a strong ‘sustainability’ component, with programmes to welcome interns, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ people, etc.
What I’m most proud of is that I’ve never left a team without the team telling me they were sad to see me go. For me, that’s a success, because each time, I felt that I had succeeded in doing what I wanted to do, i.e. successfully uniting a team around a project. It’s recognition of my management and I’m very proud of it, because it hasn’t always been easy.
The same advice as above.
Your point of view
Science is a bit more open to women, whereas pure technology is a bit more difficult because many technical professions are not very well known and some of these professions are not very attractive to women because they are physically difficult, although some women do go into them.
I would say that technology can open up new horizons because it brings science and technology together, whereas before we used to separate the two. I notice that women are much more interested in many things than they used to be, and it seems to me that my generation has brought up its children with this technological openness. I would say that the new generation is also much more open to the subject because they are surrounded by technological objects. There are fewer barriers and it’s this environment that makes it more promising for women.
My advice is not to be afraid of the environment and technology, because microelectronics cannot be the responsibility of just one person. There are a multitude of professions surrounding microelectronics which, when combined, enable chips to be developed and products to be sold. There are different levels of involvement in chip technology, requiring different levels of expertise. And working in microelectronics means being at the heart of innovation and helping to build the world of tomorrow, because everything that comes out of our factories is in the objects of today and will be in the objects of tomorrow. It also provides a wealth of knowledge and insight into the possibilities offered by microelectronics and technology, particularly in relation to major issues such as climate change.
A woman CEO of STMicroelectronics. I’d like to see more women in senior positions by 2030. We have a woman director of ST France, so that’s a start and the company is working on it. And beyond microelectronics, I’d like to see a woman president in France and elsewhere in the world. Having more women in positions of power would, in my opinion, bring a little gentleness.
To finish with
What’s important to me is integrity, respect, kindness and tolerance. I believe that with these values we can work well and move forward together.
My professional ambition is to be serene until the end of my career, i.e. not to find myself in difficulty and to be able to continue working serenely, which has not always been the case. I don’t particularly want to move up the ranks because I now have a life balance that makes me happy. Instead, I’d like to move around the company in positions that allow me to develop and enjoy coming to work.
I want to continue to have responsibility because I like it, to remain at a hierarchical level that allows me to be heard, to participate in development and change in a meaningful way. I want my voice to carry weight. In 2030, I hope I’ll still be at ST, in a job that gives me the same sense of fulfilment and commitment as my current job.