Clémence Achemlal studied engineering and business and interned at SPIE Ouest-Centre in 2014, after which she was hired by Conraux, a SPIE Est subsidiary specializing in HVAC. Starting as an assistant business manager on small projects, she learned technical, commercial, managerial, and accounting aspects and was promoted to business manager in 2016. As a business manager at Conraux, she interfaces with customers, draws up quotations, manages technical solutions and project teams, and ensures sites run smoothly from both technical and financial standpoints. She is pleased to see more women working in HVAC jobsites, proving technical professions are not exclusively for men.

1. Tell us about your career to date.
Clémence Achemlal: I studied simultaneously for a diploma in Energy at an engineering
school and an MBA at a business school in Poitiers, in central France, and I was able
to do my final-year internship at SPIE Ouest-Centre in 2014. I was then hired by Conraux,
which is a subsidiary of SPIE Est specialising in HVAC. Starting out as an assistant business
manager, I was assigned to small projects, which enabled me to pick up the basics in terms
of the technical, commercial, managerial and accounting aspects. Gradually I was given
larger projects to work on, and in 2016, I was promoted to business manager.
What duties do you perform?
C.A.: Think of me as a conductor! I interface with the customers to draw up quotations
and find the most suitable technical solutions. During the works phase, I manage the teams
and I am responsible for ensuring that our sites run smoothly, whether on a technical or a
financial level. I am also in charge of customer relations and of dealing with bureaucracy.
Would you say there are more women working in your sector?
C.A.: Yes, I’m very pleased to say that you now find more and more women working on jobsites.
This clearly proves that technical professions are not the exclusive preserve of men!
A business manager in the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air, Conditioning) sector at Conraux
in north-eastern France, Clémence Achemlal, 24, is proud to see more women working in her sector.
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