Women in Industry awards: The results are in!

Valérie Patuel, Managing Director and CEO at Safran Helicopter Engines Singapore, won the International Women's Trophy at the Women in Industry Awards. Find out more about this great explorer’s career!

A native of the Haute-Savoie region, Valérie is a first-class skier who takes her studies and competition very seriously; so much so, indeed, that she was selected for the French Championships. For her work experience, Valérie enjoyed a succession of experiences abroad, from Barcelona to Atlanta. She continued her career path with a European MBA in accountancy and international finances, which took her to Belgium, Spain and Ireland.

In 2000, Valérie – who stems from a family of entrepreneurs – felt the desire to flex her commercial muscles. Having been recruited by Accenture, she experienced her first expatriate posting, in Dublin. Immersed in a shared financial services center for a customer in freight – “a very masculine environment” – she quickly assumed responsibility for continuous improvement service and customer relations.

In 2003, the time came to fulfill her lifelong dream: To backpack around the world with her companion – who was to become her husband, and then the father of her two children. “It was a difficult decision to make, because my professional career was already in motion.” This experience has reminded her that risk-taking can create opportunities.

Her career at Safran began in 2004 at the Safran Helicopter Engines support center, which was at the time undergoing a reorganization. Her atypical profile and international experience made her an attractive candidate. As a “non-engineer”, Valérie had never imagined working in the industry, yet was to spend ten fascinating years there.

In 2015, while heading up the Operator Sales Support team, she expressed her desire to take on a new role – this time abroad. She was offered Malaysia, where the post of Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Global Turbine Asia joint venture was available. So she jetted off to start a new life with her husband and children. In five years, she raised the standard of the organization to Safran levels, won the trust of shareholders and hired a solid team, with whom she formed strong ties.

In 2021, Valérie was selected to take on the role of CEO in Singapore, where she now manages all Safran Helicopter Engines' operations in Asian countries. That means 200 customers and more than 1,000 helicopter turbines! In addition to this operational component focused on business development, Valérie is Safran's representative in Singapore.

“The thing I’m proud of is simply the fact that I've been able to fulfill my lifelong dream of a professional career as a single person, then as one half of a couple, then as a family, internationally! I've always had a taste for foreign countries, languages, differences in cultures and norms… which have fed me and continue to push me to grow. I humbly like to think that, perhaps, my international career and my commercial and female profile – which is somewhat 'rare' in a large French high-tech industrial group – may be a source of inspiration to encourage other young (and less young) women to express their talents! ”