SPIE INTERVIEW EN

1. 31-year-old Chloé Roy has been a technical studies technician in General Electrical Installation
at SPIE Nucléaire for six years and is based in Marseille, southern France. She talks about how
she came to have a technical profession.
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INTERVIEWS
WITHOURSO SPIEPEOPLE
“I like working
in a masculine
environment”
What is your background?
Chloé Roy: I graduated in Electrical Distribution and Industrial Computing at the university and
was hired by SPIE Nucléaire in 2012 as a technical studies technician in General Electrical
Installation. I mostly work for one of our major clients and I also coordinate one particular area
of customer specifications.
What does your work consist of?
C.R.: I’m responsible for following-up projects. Concretely, when I receive a specification from
a customer, I analyse it and then I consult the specialists (control command, mechanical
electrical installation, dimensioning, qualification and works) to assess the needs. I then make
a commercial offer to the customer based on all the elements of the costing. Throughout the
project, I have to supply and verify all the technical documentation (description of the works,
list of materials to be procured, etc.). I’m a bit like a conductor! I have to effectively communicate
with the teams, manage priorities and schedules, respond quickly and be autonomous.
Where does your passion for technical professions come from?
C.R.: When I was at middle school, there was a course module that was called “applied new
technologies”. I worked on a project relating to electricity, and I really liked the technicality that
was associated with the topic. Today, working in a masculine environment doesn’t bother me
at all, although I wish I could have other female colleagues in my team. At SPIE, I see more
female engineers than technicians. I regret that my profession is under-represented by women,
especially when it’s time for career orientation at school.