International Women's Day: Celebrating the voices and achievements of inspiring women at Safran

To commemorate International Women's Day, we are featuring a month-long spotlight series that highlights the stories and achievements of inspiring women working at Safran sites across the United States.

Photos of the women presented in this series are included in a mini-gallery at the bottom of the page.
 

Courtney Reeves Yarbrough
Sales Support & Project Manager
Safran Aerosystems Services Americas 

• What are your favorite aspects about working at Safran?

I enjoy the strong sense of teamwork and collaboration. I genuinely appreciate the people I work with and the opportunity to celebrate their successes, as well as my own. Safran provides the tools and support needed to achieve goals, and I value being part of an environment where mentorship and growth are encouraged. 

• What has been your most rewarding professional experience so far?

Being part of the team that rebranded Zodiac Aerospace (acquired in 2018) to Safran was an incredibly rewarding experience. The transition required close collaboration across multiple departments to align processes, update branding, and ensure a seamless integration. It was a challenging but exciting project, and seeing the successful rollout made all the hard work worth it. Contributing to such a pivotal moment for the company was both fulfilling and a great learning experience.

• Can you share an example of a project that illustrates the power of teamwork?

Responding to major RFPs (requests for proposals) is a great example of how teamwork drives success. These proposals require input from multiple departments –  including sales, finance, legal, and engineering – making cross-collaboration essential. Ensuring all information is accurate, aligned, and submitted on time requires seamless coordination and strong communication among teams. Part of my role is assisting in efficiently gathering and organizing these details to keep the process moving forward. The true impact of teamwork is seen when these efforts turn into wins – demonstrating that when different teams work together toward a common goal, the results can be incredibly rewarding. 

• How can we encourage more women to pursue careers in the aerospace and defense sector?

Showcasing successful women in the industry and providing opportunities for professional development can inspire the next generation. We need to continue advocating for mentorship programs, education initiatives with STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), and inclusive workplace policies. Representation matters; and fostering a culture of support and opportunity will help bring more women into the field.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Gina Siano
Project Buyer, U.S. Military Programs
Safran Landing Systems
 

• What are your favorite aspects about working at Safran?

From day one, I noticed a sense of unity and pride at Safran. Everyone is always willing to help and so encouraging. A positive work environment makes all the difference!

• What female role model do you look up to and why?

I don’t have one specific role model that I look up to, rather I look around at the women in my life (friends, family and coworkers) and get inspired by them to be the best version of myself. There is nothing more encouraging than women supporting and cheering for each other. 

• What has been your most rewarding professional experience so far?

Being able to work on development programs at three leading aerospace companies. It is incredibly rewarding to be able to be part of programs at the initial stage and to see the impact as these programs move into production. 

• How important is teamwork for success in your role?

Teamwork is essential for success in my role. I interact with various teams on a daily basis that work together to ensure that the procurement process runs smoothly.

• How can we encourage more women to pursue careers in the aerospace and defense sector?

Bringing more awareness to the different opportunities within the aerospace and defense sectors would encourage more interest, as well as featuring more female leaders in the industry in campaigns.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Jessica Sanchez
Director of Trade and Compliance
Safran Defense & Space, Inc. 

• What advice do you give to young women entering your industry?

Be the person that gets things done; it makes you valuable. It also helps establish and build trust with colleagues when they know they can count on you. Also, offer your help/assistance to departments or functions that are outside of your current role or scope of work. That’s how I transitioned from Contracts to Trade, and I've never looked back! 

• What leadership qualities do you think are important to succeed in the workplace?

> Being passionate about the work you do.

> Being a good listener. I learned about the importance of listening in my master’s program and it has always stuck with me. My best bosses have been great listeners - they put down their phones and pay attention. 

> Choosing your battles – knowing when compromise can be accepted.   

• What has been your most rewarding professional experience so far?

In 2016, I was selected to represent the U.S. State Department at the Wassenaar Arrangement's Licensing and Enforcement Officer's Meeting (LEOM) held in Vienna, Austria. I met with government trade professionals from European Union countries to discuss global trade best practices, and I shared my experience overseeing a U.S. company's consent agreement with the U.S. State Department. 

• How important is teamwork for success in your role?

Teamwork is critical to trade compliance. One of my favorite things about trade is that it touches nearly every function in the organization: Business Development/Sales, Engineering, Procurement, Transportation/Operations, Quality, Human Resources and Finance.  A strong trade program depends on collaboration with these functions. 

I’ve learned that integrated trade requirements work better than standalone trade procedures.  Trade should not define how the process works, but instead be a checkpoint or reviewer within a business process. To successfully accomplish this requires teamwork and collaboration. 

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Anaid Martinez
Key Account Manager
Safran Helicopter Engines

• What are your favorite aspects about working at Safran?  

I am fortunate to be part of a team that provides support to our military customers. It’s fulfilling to know that I play a small part of their everyday mission of saving lives. Every day, I work with the most amazing group of people; it’s more like a family. Additionally, Safran offers learning and growth opportunities.

• What female role model do you look up to and why? 

My mom: she inspires and motivates me to grow without any barriers. She always gives the best advice and pushes me to be the best version of myself in any situation.

• What advice do you give to young women entering your industry? 

I was 21 years old when I joined Safran, and was excited to learn about the industry. You must believe in your abilities and stand firm in pursuing your goals.  Also, it’s important to network with other women in the field for support and mentorship.

• What has been your most rewarding professional experience so far? 

The opportunity to travel and visit my customers and get a firsthand look at our products in action. It’s rewarding to know that my team supports such important customers.

• How vital is teamwork for success in your role? 

Teamwork is very important to me; it promotes a positive work environment and helps my team grow and achieve our goals.  It also helps build strong relationships and increase efficiency.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Linda Hatfield
Facilities Engineer
Safran Test Cells

• What has been your most rewarding professional experience so far?

What I find most rewarding in this profession is seeing the number of new women designers and engineers grow each year. When I first entered this field, there were only two female designers and one female engineer in a company of over 50 people. That didn’t change for many years. The company I worked for had a strict business dress code which meant men wore slacks and a suit coat, and women wore dresses or skirts and high heels. They had a separate dress code for women! I’ll never forget the day they changed that to a single dress code for everyone, and women could finally wear slacks.

• What advice do you give to young women entering your industry? 

My advice about working is simple – it’s a quote attributed to Mark Twain: “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” The second piece of advice I give is very similar: find an employer that treats you well, respects you, and encourages you to excel. On the surface, this sounds like a no-brainer, but in reality it’s easy to stay in a job you don’t like because change can be scary, so people sacrifice happiness for security. I’m very fortunate to have picked a career that I love doing – coming to work is never a chore, especially because I work for a great company!

• How important is teamwork for success in your role? 

Teamwork is critical for what I do. Being able to talk about ideas for a new design or for solutions to a problem with others means there is more experience available than just mine. Having another pair of eyes to check my work gives me confidence that I’m on the right track. I am a better designer, a better checker, a better person because I am part of a team.

• How can we encourage more women to pursue careers in the aerospace and defense sector? 

In order to get more women to pursue a career in aerospace or defense, I think you have to show them at a very young age how fun and interesting it can be to work in one of these areas. Reaching out to girls in elementary school is critical to helping them shape their answer to the question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Aerospace isn’t just engineering; it’s also about flying. Take them on field trips to fun places like air shows, air museums, airports – even military bases if there’s one nearby. Bring women who fly into classrooms to share what they do and to emphasize how fun and rewarding it is. Take them to a flight simulator company! Catch their interest with something fun at a really young age and they’ll be hooked for life.