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#LoveMySafranJob – “Making the most of each experience!”

Human resources

In her 15 years at Safran, Laura Herrera has gone from being a young intern to becoming the general manager for the Airbus & Business Aviation programs at Safran Electrical & Power Chihuahua, with more than 600 staff employed in her organization. She enthusiastically describes her experience within the Group.

Laura Herrera

A 360° position

Her company? Safran Electrical & Power is the global leader for aeronautical electrical systems. Among other things, the company produces electrical motors, wiring for aircraft, batteries and power management equipment.

Her job? General manager of the Airbus & Business Aviation programs for the North America region.

Her role? Examining strategic projects, preparing new business proposals, approving contracts, supervising the procurement of equipment and adapting to changes in clients’ planning schedules. She also supervises the site production capacities and ensures that the set objectives are being achieved.

What motivates her on a daily basis? Implementing continuous improvement projects and managing her teams. Laura is always keen to fully involve them in all projects by showing them that they are vital to attaining the set objectives.

A leader through and through

Looking back at her career, Laura feels that each stage helped her refine her leadership skills: “Ever since my early beginnings as an intern, I have always sought to learn as much as possible. I’ve always tried to have a complete overview of the company to understand how it works, to identify the role of each stakeholder and the different challenges and dynamics involved… Having a complete overview has always helped me a great deal in my day-to-day activities.

 

One of the key principles Laura applies is to make the most of every experience. Through contact with the different managers she has worked with, she has forged her own leadership model, one built on pragmatism, combining different ways of managing projects to adapt to the people and situations she has encountered.

 

Drawing upon her experience, Laura feels that a good manager should be pragmatic, analytical, disciplined and highly committed. He should have a sense of urgency, possess good communication skills and above all be capable of spotting the potential in each of his staff.

A corporate culture which extends beyond the site

“I love working at Safran. The corporate culture extends widely around Chihuahua. What I particularly enjoy is promoting our culture of excellence on a daily basis, both in dealings with our teams and our partners.” She is proud of the fact that Safran is seen in Mexico as an influential group proposing high-tech products and services. If Laura is keen to continue this adventure within the Group after 15 years spent at Safran, it’s because she continues to make progress each and every day.

Her message for those from the younger generations arriving at Safran?

“I would like to address young women by saying to them clearly: don’t be held back by prejudices and preconceptions! If you would like to join the Group and make a career here, then go for it. Whatever your job or position, all of your ideas and analyses are extremely valuable. If you have an idea, discuss it with the people around you and take the initiative. Here, you’re definitely in the right company to do that.”

 

*QRQC: “Quick Response Quality Control”, a managerial approach based on the rapid handling of problems, the daily management of performance and an improvement loop.