GDF SUEZ : Women in

technical roles
 WOMEN IN TECHNICAL ROLES

14
Anna Livia Canedo
Carvalho, engineer at
Tractebel Energia
© Plinio Bordin

Technical jobs opening up

to women
At the end of 2014, women at GDF SUEZ accounted for 21.6% of employees and the Group set itself the
objective of hiring 30% women by 2015. The women you are going to meet in the following pages all have
one thing in common: they were daring. They dared to choose technical roles that were said to be reserved
for men. They share with the Group the conviction that gender diversity on construction sites enriches the
company. Let us meet five of them on site.

12
© GAZOCEAN

Aude Ravon, second

engineer on board a
GAZOCEAN methane tanker

2
 © Phototheque Cofely Ineo/Arnaud Fevrier

© GDFSUEZ / Sipa Press / JM. Geugnot

Aurélie
Perreira,

10
network
installer at
Cofely Ineo
Annabelle Cléau,

4 maintenance technician at
SAVELYS

Delphine Alingrin,
field operator
at Elengy

© GDFSUEZ / Sipa Press / S. Salom-Gomis

3
 WOMEN IN TECHNICAL ROLES

Photos: © Phototheque Cofely Ineo/Arnaud Fevrier

Aurélie Perreira, at a Cofely Ineo
Réseaux Est worksite.

Gender Diversity on
Construction Sites is possible!
Aurélie Perreira is 28 years old and has been training since 2013 as a network installer at Cofely Ineo,
a Group entity specializing in electrical installations and information and communications systems. A taxi
driver for one summer, Aurélie’s career switch was not by chance. A look at a successful switch.

A
fter taking note in 2011 of the low number of
women working at its worksites, Cofely Ineo decided
to launch a training program in order to facilitate
the entry of female employees into the workplace. This
echoed the approach that has been adopted Group-wide
for several years. That is how the Cofely Ineo “Gender Di-
versity on Construction Sites”
p r o g r a m a r o s e i n Fr a n c e i n
n e d. S i n c e 2013, th e p ro g r a m h a s b e e n d e p l oye d
nationwide. It is with an HND in Business under her belt
that Aurélie Perreira joined the work-study training program
of fered by Cofely Ineo. “Af te r my HND in Business,
I bounced from one odd job to another. I had already
become interested in the world of industry, never having
been frightened of male bastions. That is when I joined
Cofely Ineo as a trainee.”

" TO WOMEN WHO MAY HESITATE

TO TAKE THE PLUNGE, I WOULD
SAY: GO ON, DON’T HOLD BACK,
WITH A SENSE OF HUMOR
2012. Deployed initially in pilot
regions ( Île-de-France, Nord-
Pas-de-Calais, Normandy and
Picardie), it soon met with great
She has excellent memories of her first day on the job and
recalls a very good atmosphere on the worksite: “My col-
leagues were very nice and very thoughtful precisely
because I am a woman, which became an advantage in

"
EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE! success: 27 trainees were hired the end!” Many may think that working at a worksite is no
to be trained as electricians, easy task for a woman, but Aurélie counters the received
Aurélie Perreira compared to the 15 initially plan- wisdom by asserting the opposite. “As a network installer,

4
 FRANCE

Cofely Ineo
• 300 facilities in France
• 15,800 employees
• 85 women hired since 2012 as
part of the “Gender Diversity on
Construction Sites” program

I am learning how to bury networks, to make what is THE “GENDER DIVERSITY ON CONSTRUCTION SITES”
overhead go underground. We are thus contributing to PROGRAM: A DRIVER FOR CAREER CHANGE
urban aesthetics … We also take care of traffic lights, For women seeking a career change, the program offers a preferred
street lighting in cities, etc.” To women who may hesitate chance to get their foot in the door. Out of the 85 women hired in this
to take the plunge, Aurélie’s answer is: “Go on, don’t hold connection since 2012, 40 are making a career change. Coming from
back, with a sense of humor everything will be fine!” different backgrounds, they have thus been able to confidently join teams
open to and schooled in diversity.
THE KEY TO SUCCESS: MENTORING
Aurélie insists on the impor tance of mentors without
whom, according to her, the training would not have the
same results. “The role of the mentor is fundamental, he
oversees us throughout the training, he is there to answer
our questions, and his skills inspire us and become a
driver of learning”, she explains. Special care was taken
with the choice of mentors in implementing the training. In
fact, the “Gender Diversity on Construction Sites” program
relies on experienced mentors, identified by employees
after numerous exchanges involving management and
executive teams. Besides their role as mentors to trainees,
their mission is also to make operating teams aware of
male-female workplace equality.

FINAL GOAL: HIRING

“For now, I am working more specifically on city lighting.
But I am also drawn to renewable energy, it’s the advan-
tage of belonging to a large Group! ”, Aurélie tells us.
Besides a high-performance training program, Cofely
Ineo’s goal is to hire these women on a permanent
contract at the end of their training contract and to develop
their careers at the company so that they can reach other
Aurélie Perreira is training as a network installer at Cofely Ineo.
levels of responsibility. ■

5
 WOMEN IN TECHNICAL ROLES

FRANCE

Elengy
• Number 2 operator in Europe
• Regasification capacity of 23.75
billion cubic meters of gas/year,
i.e. 50% of France’s annual
consumption
• 400 employees at 3 sites
(Montoir-de-Bretagne, Fos
Tonkin, and Fos Cavaou)
• 840,000 cubic meters in LNG
storage capacity

Delphine Alingrin is a field operator at Elengy. She is involved in operating maneuvers necessary
for unloading ships and injecting gas into the network.

6
Field operator at the Fos Cavaou
liquefied gas terminal
Along with her shift team, Delphine Alingrin is responsible for seeing to the operation of the works at the
Fos Cavaou liquefied gas terminal. She, who eight years ago held the position of customer service
representative at a call center, has maneuvered her career change perfectly. A conversation with this
enthusiast on the shores of the Mediterranean.

W
orking in a technical role is something that Delphine
dreamed of since she was a teenager. But at the
end of the 1990s and even though she had earned
her vocational high school diploma as an industrial mechanic,
no opportunities appeared. At the time, she recalls, “the training
was open to girls, but not the companies!” When she joined the
Group, it was to work as a customer service representative at a
call center. For seven years, first in Albi, then in Montpellier,
Delphine handled remote customer service. However enriching
this experiencing was, it only confirmed that her future lay

© GDFSUEZ / Sipa Press / S. Salom-Gomis

7
 WOMEN IN TECHNICAL ROLES

Photos: © GDFSUEZ / Sipa Press / S. Salom-Gomis

Delphine Alingrin works in cooperation with the different
trades at the terminal.

Holder of a truck license, she can accordingly act in the As field operator, Delphine Alingrin is responsible for
event of fire. overseeing operating equipment.

somewhere else besides a call center and, in 2006, she signa-
led her desire for a career change. “Among the different job and
mobility offers, there was one that I was drawn to in particular. It
was a position at a liquefied gas terminal. This environment cal-
led to me and I immediately told myself that someday I would
like to work there. However, I had no idea how an industrial site
operated!” From that time on, everything happened in quick
succession. “It was decided in a day. The first interview took
place in Marseille at 8:30 a.m., and the others one after another
throughout the day at the Fos Cavaou site, until
6:30 p.m.” After the interviews, Delphine was
take things in my stride!” Delphine had no difficulty explaining
that what was important to her was to learn and to do her job
well. Her motivation and her determination were persuasive.
She then began four months of theoretical and practical training
on site to become a field operator.
A NEW ROLE
Working in a new role, with new challenges, was a big
change for Delphine from her call center job, where there
had been as many women as men. At the Fos Cavaou
liquefied gas terminal, she was part of a five-member team.

" IN MY WORK AS
IN MY LIFE, I AM AN
hired, something which was not a foregone
conclusion. “My application caused a bit of a stir.
Their task: to take all necessary measures to ensure that
the infrastructure is operational and be ready to unload or

"
I was asked if I was handy and if I was used to reload a methane tanker at any time. In these predomi-
ENTHUSIAST.
handing tools… these questions probably would nantly male surroundings, the arrival of a woman caused
Delphine Alingrin not have been asked of a man, but I know how to some reactions which now make Delphine smile. “At the

8
beginning, it is true that I was judged just because I was a
woman. But over time, I earned the respect of my peers.”
ENERGY FROM THE SEA
For Delphine, there is a richness to the role of a field opera-
tor due to the fact that every day is different. “Today I am
working outdoors, and even though the work is physically
demanding, both by day and by night throughout the year, I
nevertheless have the chance to see the sun rise regularly
over the sea and that gives me an enormous amount of
energy.” In order to succeed with her career change, Del-
phine had to learn everything from technical aspects to sa-
fety measures, which are essential in this field since they
provide the ability to work on the terminal in the event of a
problem. This is a formality for this fighter who not only
holds a first aid certificate, but also a truck license and can
THE FOS CAVAOU LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS
TERMINAL
A liquefied natural gas terminal allows for regasifying liquefied natural gas
(LNG) transported by sea from production zones. The Fos de Cavaou
terminal is located in Fos-sur-Mer in Bouches-du-Rhône, 50 km west of
Marseille. With a regasification capacity of 8.25 Gm3/year, it boasts a very
favorable nautical location. Commissioned in April 2010 and accessible
directly by sea to the latest generations of very large liquefied gas tankers,
it is a major point of entry to the French and European markets.
accordingly take the wheel of the terminal fire truck in the
eve nt of a f ire. “My j o b d r aws ad m i r ati o n f ro m my
loved ones; it is not a normal life in an environment that is
not normal either: it’s like me, and it allows me to learn more
every day.” ■
9
 WOMEN IN TECHNICAL ROLES

FRANCE

SAVELYS
• A GDF SUEZ subsidiary
(Energy Europe business line/
Marketing & Sales BU)
• Number 1 in France in heating
system maintenance services
• 4,200 employees
• 3,300 technicians
• 250 sites in France
• On average 20,000
maintenance jobs/day

THE SAVELYS GENDER DIVERSITY ACTION PLAN

The report carried out in 2012 left
a lot to be desired on gender
diversity: out of 2,750
technicians, 13 were women.
Convinced that this imbalance was
not inevitable, SAVELYS, Group
subsidiary, implemented an action
plan aimed at fostering job
equality and gender diversity on
construction sites. The measures
adopted include the launch of a
project to increase the number of
women in technical jobs. In the
interim, agency secretaries are
being offered development
toward maintenance technician
jobs, and human resources
managers are encouraged to favor
hiring women into technical jobs.
Once hired, candidates undergo
nine months of part-time training
aimed at earning a Metallurgy
Qualification Certificate (CQPM), a
diploma that is indispensable for
them to engage in their future
profession as heating technician.
This policy has been accompanied
since September by a vast internal
and external communications
campaign.

10
 At SAVELYS, boiler maintenance
with a female touch
Whether oil or gas-fired, boilers need meticulous and regular maintenance to function properly and
prevent incidents. And if they do have a breakdown, it must be remedied urgently. A man’s problem, you
think? Annabelle Cléau is going to change your mind.

“
My friends think I am nuts! ” That is what she says
when asked what her career elicits among her loved
ones. In Clermont-Ferrand (France), Annabelle is
part of a team of 15 technicians at the SAVELYS agency
who see to boiler maintenance and repair assignments
with 13,000 group and private customers in the region.
And the fact of being the only woman has not prevented
her from specializing in a career considered amongst the
most male in her field: the maintenance and repair of oil-
fired boilers. “Of course, I know how to handle gas-fired
boilers, as well as solar water heaters and heat pumps,
but I admit to having a weakness for oil-fired boilers.” As a
result, Annabelle’s van is the one with the most mileage on
it. Explanation: “In some isolated places that were not
connected to the gas network
at th e ti me whe n d we l l i ng s

" IN THE
BEGINNING, WHEN
were built, oil-fired equipment
was the only possible choice!”
CUSTOMERS SAW Before be coming a mainte -
nance technician, a post that
ME ARRIVE, THEY

Photos: © GDFSUEZ / Sipa Press / JM. Geugnot

she has held at Savelys for a
WOULD ASK IF MY y e a r a n d a h a l f, A n n a b e l l e
MALE COLLEAGUE worked in a Quality position in
WAS GOING TO JOIN the food-processing industry.
ME!
"
Annabelle Cléau
And she does not regret her
switch. “I really love my new
job. I started at Savelys in Cha-
lon-sur-Saône, in Bourgogne,
and I had the freedom to move
about. When this permanent contract was offered to me in
Clermont-Ferrand, I did not hesitate.”

GOING BEYOND THE OBVIOUS

Annabelle has always had a passion for do-it-yourself and
large-sized jobs do not frighten her. She is also an accom-
plished sportswoman, a quality that facilitates her daily
work: “I play sports every weekend. This allows me to stay
in shape and to exert physical effort more easily during the
week.” Besides the technical aspects of her job, which
enthuse her, Annabelle greatly appreciates the contact
with customers and the trust they place in her by allowing Annabelle Cléau is a technician at SAVELYS where she
her into their homes. Even if they are sometimes sur- provides maintenance and repair of oil or gas-fired boilers.
prised: “In the beginning, when customers saw me arrive,
they would ask me if my male colleague was going to join
me! A woman performing physical work is not very com- this profession for putting her skills to full use. “It is very
mon... But once past the surprise, it no longer makes any empowering to act with full autonomy at a customer’s and
difference, especially if the work is well done.” Organiza- always gratifying when they express their satisfaction to
tion, method, speed: Annabelle has found the means in you at the end of your work!” ■

11
 WOMEN IN TECHNICAL ROLES

In the middle of the ocean,

on board a giant of the seas
The length of more than two football fields, the GAZOCEAN methane tankers criss-cross the oceans of the
globe to transport liquefied natural gas (LNG). On board, equal representation is still far from being in effect,
but it is progressing! The 171 officers and seamen include 167 men to 4 women. A conversation with one of
these seafaring women, Aude Ravon, second engineer on board the Gaselys.

The Gaselys measures 290 m long and 43 m wide. It travels at a speed of close to 39 km/h (i.e.
19.5 knots). It has been part of the Group fleet since 2007.
Photos: © GAZOCEAN

Aude Ravon and her team are responsible for

fresh water and electricity production on the
Gaselys, as well as for electrical propulsion.

Aude Ravon is one of 4 women employees among the 171 officers and seamen of
GAZOCEAN.

12
 merchant marine was not so much remaining on the bridge
FRANCE to steer ships, but rather to see to their propulsion and
fix their enormous engines. And since methane tankers
GAZOCEAN are among the largest ships in existence, her maritime
• A GDF SUEZ subsidiary (Global Gas & work was all cut out for her. “I began working in liquefied
LNG Business Line/LNG BU) petroleum gas (LPG) transport and in 2008 was hired by
• Pioneer in the Liquefied Natural Gas GAZOCEAN as an officer.”
(LNG) transportation sector
• More than 50 years of technical QUICK ADVANCEMENT
expertise in LNG transport Six years later, Aude is already second engineer. On the
• 200 employees on land and on its Gaselys, she is part of a 7-person team in collaboration
vessels with the chief engineer. When asked why she chose
• Fleet consisting of 5 methane tankers GAZOCEAN to pursue her career, she answers without
hesitation: “GAZOCE AN is the only French company
operating LNG transporting vessels or methane tankers.
One of the peculiarities of this type of cargo is that a small
part of the LNG evaporates during the voyage. This gas is
recovered to supply the electricity generators that propel
the ship and thus make it go forward.” And when it comes
to performing technical tasks, this expert is on the front
line. For example, today it
was necessary to check the
s et of 12 i n j e c to r s i n th e

" IT IS A JOB WITH middle of the engines. And

ship propulsion is not her
A PARTICULAR
only concern. Aude is also
SCHEDULE TO BE responsible for the produc-
SURE, BUT ONE tion of fresh water, electricity
WHICH AROUSES and for ordering spare parts.
ADMIRATION.
Aude Ravon
" This “hyper masculine”
world is not a damper on her
professional development.
“A woman can do this job
without any problem; it is a
job with a particular sche-
dule to be sure, but one which arouses admiration.” And
although the image conveyed is in fact that of man’s work,
Aude sees no obstacle that would explain why a woman
cannot do it.

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN ASIA AND

AFRICA
Today, Aude is out on the high seas in the Indian Ocean.
The Gaselys has filled its holds with LNG in Algeria and
will take about a month to reach South Korea. Among
the 30 crew members, Aude may perhaps stand out: she
is the only woman! But on the ship, she is not treated

A
ude is second engineer on the Gaselys, a 290
mete r-long metha ne ta nke r 50 % - ow ne d by
GDF SUEZ and covering the route in the Indian
Ocean going toward Malaysia. How did this young woman
end up there? Upon hearing her recount her career, it was
the most natural thing in the world! “Starting in 2003 and
for four years, I took courses in Le Havre at the École
Nationale Supérieure Maritime (ENSM), which trains mer-
chant marine officers. The ENSM has four sites in France:
Le Havre, Marseille, Nantes and Saint-Malo. I chose the
one in Le Havre, which of fers training to work on the
largest tonnage vessels.” This sound training allowed her
to be faced right away with the reality of the job: alterna-
ting between theoretical classes and on-board internships
throughout five years of education. When she completed
her education, Aude was a polyvalent officer (bridge and
engine room ). For what was of interest to her in the
differently. Like all her fellow crew members, she is on
night duty once every three days. And although working
conditions may be rather demanding, she has made her
choice outright. “I love the technical side of my job, and I
have the chance to play a key role in the ship’s operation.
In addition, the camaraderie that is created between crew
members is great, and without match on land. And then
this particular schedule, with long voyages, offers real
advantages as I see it: although we remain out at sea for
a long time, thanks to the work schedule, two months on
board/two months land leave, there are special periods
on land in between two embarkations.” The only draw-
back: some countries, where women’s emancipation is
not yet allowed, can have a fairly cold welcome in store
for women seafarers. But Aude, who is not on her first
voyage around the world, knows how to manage the
situation perfectly. ■

13
 WOMEN IN TECHNICAL ROLES
At the Jorge Lacerda C plant,
the engineer is a woman
In southern Brazil, Anna Livia Canedo Carvalho works as an engineer at one of the three power plants
at the largest thermoelectric complex in South America.
“
When I was small, I wanted to become an engineer,
like my father. I grew up with this example, and so it
was completely natural for me to enter university to
pursue scientific studies.” In 2011, with her chemical engi-
neer diploma under her belt, Anna immediately launched
herself into an active life. “When I was a student, I did not
have any specific ideas about which sector I was going to
build my career in. But I did know that I wanted to work in
industry. When I heard about Tractebel’s Jovens Talentos
(Young Talent) program, I immediately applied. I was lucky
to be hired, which allowed me to learn, specifically and on
site, how electricity power plants operate.”
With some fifty other engineers and techni-
c i a n s, A n n a u n d e r we n t ve r y c o m p l e te
training for a year on the dif ferent plant
" I WORK HARD, AND
I HOPE THAT ONE DAY
equipment, systems and procedures and on
the company’s operating methods. “Along-
TRACTEBEL ENERGIA side these theory-based training courses,
WILL ENTRUST ME we had several internships lasting from one
WITH GREATER m o nt h to s i x we e ks at a va r i e t y of t h e
RESPONSIBILITIES Group’s plants in Brazil”.
WITHIN THE PLANT.
"
RAPID INTEGRATION
Anna Livia Canedo After this intensive apprenticeship, Anna
Carvalho joined the Jorge Lacerda C plant, in the state
14
of Santa Catarina, where she has now been working
for two years. “There have not been any difficulties with
my integration within the team, despite my being the only
woman. Everyone here is very open-minded, and I am
considered like any other engineer. Mindsets have evolved
greatly from previous generations, and a woman can
perform this job very well, which does not require any
special physical strength.”
As the plant needs to operate 24 hours a day, five teams
work in shifts day and night. “My job involves organizing
the work to be carried out by the operators and techni-
cians, in addition to looking after the equipment, ensuring
it is maintained properly, and negotiating with our sup-
pliers and providers. My concern at all times is for the
plant to operate at its best performance and produce the
energy expected.” 363 MW, it is a sizeable unit, and errors
are not permitted. “We make huge efforts to optimize the
plant’s energy efficiency, which to put it in simple terms
means producing more electricity with less coal, and at
the same time significantly reducing our carbon gas emis-
sions and other pollutants.” Safeguarding the environment,
as well as the safety of plant personnel is fundamental for
Anna. “We have very strict rules that I aim to ensure are
applied. For instance, once a month, I host a meeting to
look at these issues”.

BRAZIL
Tractebel Energia
• 27 power plants
(thermoelectric, hydroelectric,
biomass, wind and solar.)
• Installed capacity: 7,028 MW
• More than 1,100 employees
Among her tasks, Anna Livia Canedo handles different equipment required for energy production.
A LOT TO PASS ON ALREADY, AND
STILL A LOT TO LEARN
Anna is not alone of course in making decisions: “I have
managers above me and a lot yet to learn!” But the young
engineer is set to go far. “I work hard, and I hope that one
day Tractebel Energia will entrust me with greater res-
ponsibilities within the plant.”
While Anna receives ongoing training to further strengthen
her knowledge, she also provides training. “Every Tuesday
evening, I act as a teacher as part of the partnership
between Tractebel and the SENAI*, an apprenticeship
system that is very active in Brazil. It is very rewarding
for me to convey to future engineers the skills that I have
acquired in the field of thermodynamics and to share with
Photos: © Plinio Bordin
Once a week, Anna Livia Canedo teaches courses to future technicians
as part of the partnership between Tractebel Energia and the SENAI*.
them my experiences from the operational standpoint! ”
Ask Anna what advice she would give women who would
like to do her job, and she is quick to answer: “Believe in
yourselves and persevere! Even if electricity production is
still a man’s world, you can be very successful. In our day,
things have changed. Women have access to operational
functions and to positions of responsibility that were inac-
cessible to them in the past.” ■
*SENAI (National Industrial Apprenticeship Service) is
a very attractive apprenticeship system in Brazil that offers
young people industrial training by professionals. The
training provided under this program is provided by
companies in the industrial sector.
15
 drive

daring
cohesion
Our values

commitment

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