Crigen is a breeding ground for highly motivated people full of ideas.
I joined Gaz de France in 2007, in a research centre before it was called Crigen. We were beginning to take an interest in energy services; smart metering was the first building block in these new digital systems that we were going to develop. The merger with Suez had been announced, and the group seemed to me to be well placed to meet the energy and environmental challenges that were already preoccupying me as a young graduate. I’ve got a funny story about me being taken on. During the last stage with the head of department, at the end of the interview, he said to me: “I like your profile but you’re applying for the wrong job” and he directed me to another position which I actually liked better. This is a good illustration of the research mindset. People aren’t narrow-minded: you come for one job, and they point you in the direction of another that suits you better!
An incredible opening onto all the Group’s businesses. When I was taken on by Gaz de France, I worked a lot during my first year there on gas, which was in any event very exciting, however the merger with Suez gave me access to entities operating more in the service sector and opened up perspectives on energy in general, the environment, water management and waste treatment, and gradually led me to the problems of towns and Smart Cities, which encompass all these issues. I covered an incredible number of subjects in four or five years and I think that’s one of the key reasons why research is so interesting in a group like ENGIE.
I had completed my engineering degree at ESEO with a Master of Research in the UK. I had been offered a PhD but I wanted to work in environments where I could have an impact and bring about change. The major groups have interesting levers and striking power. I was also very attracted to industry, a sector that has always fascinated me and in which I wanted to develop.
I spent a dozen years in research, first at Lab Crigen, then in Singapore. In France, I was given the opportunity to immerse myself in the business and spent three years seconded to the operational BUs. First of all, I carried out a survey of industrial customers’ gas meters throughout France on behalf of GRDF to identify a smart metering solution that would be compatible with the greatest number of people. I spent a year on the road learning about different trades – it was a great learning experience. I then spent two years working on a mobile application for technicians looking after private customers in France, to manage their field notes. We developed solutions on the first floor, then went down to see the technicians in the customer agency on the ground floor and went out on the road with them to see if they worked. If they didn’t, we corrected them. It was very responsive and really interesting. I then returned to the Crigen site as project manager.
It has enabled me to progress rapidly in my career because as soon as I proved myself as an engineer, I was given responsibilities in a variety of dynamic areas. Another very positive aspect is the human aspect. Crigen is a breeding ground for highly motivated people full of ideas. I’ve probably never worked as hard as I did there, but it was almost pure pleasure! It was an extraordinary ecosystem. The network I’ve built up through all these jobs is still useful to me today.
Smart City topics, decision-support platforms for elected representatives around environmental and energy issues. The discussions covered not only electricity and gas, but also all aspects of water, waste and building management, which we had to try to consolidate into a decision-making tool for use by elected representatives and their technical teams. These were the beginnings of things that were subsequently developed, which shows that research also allows us to work at a very early stage on topics, which is another very gratifying aspect.
At that time, the Group wanted to internationalise its research skills. GDF Suez’s research strike force was based in Europe, but ENGIE’s growth markets are America, the Middle East and Asia, hence the idea of creating regional research centres closer to operational staff. I was put in charge of Asia, and after carrying out some market research, we identified Singapore as one of the most interesting options in the region. In 2013, I presented a business plan to set up a research unit there. I was given six months to win my first research contract while based in France.
We created ENGIE Lab Singapore in 2015.
After six months at Crigen, responding to calls for tender for research grants, we won one in partnership with Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU). I set off in 2014 with the task of validating the business plan and testing it in reality, which we achieved fairly quickly. We created the ENGIE Lab Singapore in 2015. There was so much to do. The job involved research, recruiting a team and implementing projects. It was my first job as General Manager and I really enjoyed it. I spent 5 years at the Lab trying to recreate, in Singapore, the atmosphere I had experienced at Crigen, and I think we succeeded. Over the last few years, we have been working on a major project involving the construction of a pilot site on the island of Semakau, and on the construction side, we called on an ENGIE subsidiary, Tractebel. I discovered the engineering profession through this experience and finally migrated to this structure in 2019.
As Regional Manager, I’m responsible for all Tractebel’s activities in South-East Asia, with a team of around 150 people, a turnover of around €10 million and the ambition to grow. We provide engineering and development assistance for infrastructures, more specifically infrastructures that produce electricity (excluding coal). We’re involved in thermal, gas, LNG, cogeneration, combined cycle, waste-to-energy and renewables - wind, solar, floating installations, hydropower - it’s a really varied field! Our development is focused on four countries: Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, an extremely interesting playing field.
I’d love to have several lives so that I can try out other really interesting jobs!
This has been my mantra since my early years in Singapore: "Joy on the job comes from doing purpose-driven work with a trusted team.”
The gift of ubiquity, because I kind of want to be everywhere. I’d love to have several lives so that I can try out other really interesting jobs!
In my opinion, it starts with instilling an interest in science and technology in young girls. Companies like ours are equipped with indicators that enable us to recruit the right profiles - if they’re out there! But all too often, we can’t find them. So it needs to be prepared at an earlier stage, at school. Perhaps, as external contributors, we should take action at an earlier stage in the curriculum to encourage people. I’ve recently become the father of two little girls, so it’s clearly a subject that’s on my mind. At Tractebel Thailand, when we put together our teams, we try to balance the sexes, but it’s not always easy. We have put dedicated processes in place to meet the Group’s gender equality target, such as not disclosing the names and genders of candidates during the initial profile selection phase – we received an ENGIE 50-50 award in 2022 for this. Today, the proportion of women in Thailand is around 30%, so there’s still room for manoeuvre to reach 50%. Starting, of course, with my team of Regional Managers, which is currently made up of three women out of ten.
