I graduated from ISTG (formerly Polytech Grenoble) in materials in 1998, and have been working for EDF for 25 years. I started my career in purchasing for nuclear power plants in Seine-et-Marne, before becoming a senior buyer in Lyon. After a few years in this field, I missed the technical side of things, so I decided to move to the technical operations unit, which is in charge of maintenance for EDF's nuclear power plants, first on the valve spare parts side, then in internal reactor vessel maintenance. Finally, I found the job that combined technical, purchasing and business with industrial relations, and I'm currently industrial policy manager and contract manager for EDF Hydro Alpes.

My job allows me to communicate with EDF network stakeholders, facilitate projects and exchanges, while drawing on my expertise as a business engineer. And I love what I do! I do what I want, when I want and with the people I want: it's up to me to create everything.

Through EDF Hydro's "Une Rivière Un Territoire" (One River, One Territory) program, I quickly built up my network and got involved in a number of projects to promote professional integration, school enterprise and also the subject of women engineers, which was particularly close to my heart, as a sponsor of "elles bougent" to promote technical professions among young girls, "énergies mixité" within EDF for networking mentoring and female leadership and "industri'elles" to promote women in industry.
Passing on and exchanging ideas is what drives me, and it's great: I'd have loved to hear from female engineers at school and have access to a "women's" network!

Yes, I have two: an anecdote about my job, and my greatest professional pride.

When I was a business engineer, I was asked to carry out an inspection at a nuclear power plant. My two male colleagues and I went to the entrance of the plant. Safety protocols are strict, and we had to wait for a call before we could enter the tanks. Suddenly, his two colleagues received a call: they could enter the nuclear power plant. Then her phone rings: "But madam, please call your husband. It's urgent. This is the nuclear power plant, we've got a job to do". I replied, "Sir, my husband would be delighted to answer, but he's a nurse. I guess it's me, Sophie Berthet, who you want to contact". So we went through security to find the coordinator, who called out to me "But you put S. Berthet?", to which I replied "My colleague put S. XX. He's Stéphane, I'm Sophie." He didn't apologize.

I've also heard others: "ah bah we've got a new cleaning lady" during an internship, or trying to deny a colleague access to a power plant in South Korea before realizing she was the team leader, or hearing that we "take the place of men" during my technical studies. Things like that must never happen again. In 25 years, we've been through a lot, but we're aware that the only way forward is to build up a network of women big enough to get past it!

My greatest professional pride was when I worked in Savoie's industrial region. Over the years, I worked with both local companies and committed associations. Just before the end of my assignment, some of the industrial service providers told me that they were finding it difficult to recruit for their industrial trades. So I offered to show them how to hire in a different way, through integration, job change, disability, etc.

We co-constructed a program on Savoie News with industrialists and local integration partners. Even today, the program is used nationally, as it is fully comprehensive of alternative ways of hiring. I was able to let go of my job and leave something that is still useful today.

Don't limit yourself: do it your way! Do with what you are, and imagine your own path to get there. The key to success: be yourself, trust yourself!

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