#LoveMySafranJob - "I achieved my dream when I joined Safran"

Sophie is 47 years old, but she seems much younger. Could it be the pace of her life that has protected her from the progress of time? Indeed, she has taken a proactive approach to her career at Safran and her voluntary commitment to the @Maryse Project association, which she founded in 2020 with the primary aim of encouraging girls to set their sights on technical and scientific jobs in France's overseas territories. "The time difference means that as my day is finishing in France, it's just getting started in Guadeloupe!", she jokes. She also finds the time to lead continuous improvement projects within the Group and, every Monday, to publish playful posts on LinkedIn, in which she shares light-hearted advice about corporate life.

The very least you can say about Sophie is that she has her feet on the ground. A graduate in foreign trade, she started her career in sales administration before joining Safran at the age of 33 to handle the financial aspects of export contracts at Morpho⁽¹⁾. Yet when asked what factors have guided her career, she enthuses that an opportunity has always arisen just when she was seeking to take a step forward:

But, more than mere magic, doors have most likely opened to her as a result of her professionalism and her ability to build networks: a new role at Safran's Finance Department, in 2010, as Head of Organization Trade Finance Group, a new department that she successfully created by building synergy between the Group's companies around the world; a move to the Group's Purchasing Department, in 2015, to contribute to the improvement of the P2P⁽²⁾ process; then, an opening at Safran Landing Systems where, having become a Business Data Analyst, she initiated the digital transformation of the purchasing function by introducing an IT tool for managing purchasing performance called Digital Bricks.

It was at this time that she started training as a Data Analyst and obtained her Lean Management Green Belt certification as a conclusion to a continuous improvement project she had led. This taught her one key lesson: "If you can't measure it, you can't improve it!" She has been able to put this maxim into practice in her new role as Performance Manager in the Information Systems Department of Safran Landing Systems, which she has held since June 2022. "Once again," Sophie observes, "I was offered this role, which makes use of the skills acquired through my previous experience: finance, project management, general management, and so on. But I guess that another reason why they came looking for me was my ability to introduce new ideas and create a relaxed, inspiring work atmosphere. I believe good relationship skills are 80% of what matters in a job!"

Sophie is happy to share advice on a daily basis with the members of her team:

While some may see professional work and volunteer work as two different things, Sophie believes the two dovetail perfectly. "My organization benefits from the fact that I bring Safran's know-how regarding discipline, change management and ability to innovate. Conversely, my experience of volunteer work with the @Maryse Project has taught me to listen, adapt to the situation on the ground, and identify individuals' skills in order to unite them as a team and motivate them. For my own sense of balance, I need to keep a foot in each of these camps." 

(1) Former safety branch of Safran sold in 2017, which became Idemia.

(2) "Procure to Pay", a process linking the ordering and supplier payment stages.

Career:

Since June 2022: Head of Performance, Information Systems Department – Safran Landing Systems

2019: Business Data Analyst, Purchasing Performance – Safran Landing Systems

2015: P2P Manager – Safran

2010: Head of Group Finance Trade Organization – Safran

2008: Head of Commercial Financing of Export Contracts – Morpho

2003: Export Contracts Manager – Alcatel-Lucent

2000: Sales Administration Manager – Kremlin

2010: Masters 2 in Banking Finance – Paris-Descartes University

2002: Postgraduate degree in Foreign Trade – Panthéon-Sorbonne University, Paris

1997: Degree in Applied Foreign Languages – Toulouse-Mirail University