Valérie Patuel: “Making our mark in Southeast Asia”
Managing Director of Safran Helicopter Engines Asia and Safran regional delegate for Southeast Asia, Valérie Patuel recently won the French magazine Usine 2022 women-in-industry award in the international category. She reflects on a career that has taken her all over Southeast Asia, where she believes our industry’s future lies.
- Snapshots
- Introduction
- At a glance
What’s your current position and what does it involve?
First and foremost, I’m Managing Director of Safran Helicopter Engines Asia, where my role is to support operators, develop our business and of course supervise the 50 or so people working across the region.
On October 1, I took on the additional role of regional delegate for Southeast Asia (excluding Vietnam) working out of Singapore. With the corporate International and Public Affairs department (DG2I), we decided to open this regional office covering all strategic countries for Safran, including Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, totaling some 2,300 employees.
With this new assignment, which has a geopolitical side to it, I’m Safran’s representative in the region, notably in front of national institutions. My task is to promote Safran in the region and exert a positive influence for us. Indeed, when our companies need a local contact, they can turn to me. Our regional approach gives us a close understanding of each country in this part of the globe and a regional overview to extend our reach throughout the region. Through this new regional office, we’re set to write a new chapter in our history and make our mark in the years ahead.
Asia is already a big market today, and will grow even more in the years ahead.
When did you feel the urge to work and live far from home?
I’ve always had the travel bug! When I was younger, I went on several language trips and then as a student in business school I completed a number of internships abroad in Belgium, Spain, Ireland and the United States. In fact, this globetrotting mindset is in my genes, as my grandparents on my mother’s side were also expats.
On returning from a round-the-world backpacking trip in 2003, I began my career with Safran, first as project leader at Safran Helicopter Engines in Tarnos and then in a range of support functions.
After 10 years in the French Basque Country, I felt it was time to move on and pursue my career abroad, so I approached our support director after spotting an opportunity in Canada. Quite unexpectedly, I came out of our meeting with a completely different destination in mind: Malaysia! I was subsequently Chief Operating Officer and then Managing Director of our Global Turbine Asia joint venture in Kuala Lumpur.
Obviously, I was attracted by the pull of new pastures! My family and I had never set foot in Asia. But the most important thing is that the future of our industry lies there: Asia is already a big market today and will grow even more in the years ahead.
A woman can absolutely hold an executive position in Asia.
How do you work with teams and customers whose culture is unfamiliar to you?
It’s important to be aware of our differences and to feel comfortable with them. Obviously, there are traditions and customs that I don’t know, which vary according to the country. I always listen to the advice of my local teams and try to stay humble.
Are there any specific things about Asia that you need to watch out for as a female executive?
Frankly, we asked ourselves that very same question before I took up my post in Malaysia: is it possible to imagine a woman in that position in a country with such a different culture? We quickly concluded that it wouldn’t be an issue and I can confirm that it hasn’t been. I’ve seen from my travels and interactions that there are a lot of women in positions of responsibility. So, a woman can absolutely hold an executive position in Asia!
Valérie Patuel career milestones
- 1998-2000
Quiksilver (Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France) – Chief Accountant for European subsidiaries
- 2000-2002
Accenture Ltd. (Dublin, Ireland) – Customer Relations and Continuous Improvement Manager
- 2003
Sabbatical year for round-the-world trip
- 2004-2015
Safran Helicopter Engines (Tarnos, France)
Project Leader (2004-2005)
Marketing and Sales Support Manager (2006-2008)
Key Account Manager (2009-2012)
Operator Sales Support Manager (2013-2015)
- 2015-2020
Global Turbine Asia (Kuala Lumpur, Malaisie)
Chief Operating Officer (2015-2016)
Managing Director (2017-2020)
- 2021-2022
Managing Director of Safran Helicopter Engines Asia (Singapore) and CEO of Safran Singapore
Since September 2021: representative for Singapore / Board member of Global Turbine Asia (Malaysia)
Since October 2022: regional delegate for Southeast Asia
Valérie Patuel, won the International Women's Trophy
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