Valérie Brusseau, Valeo: Dare, dare, dare!

As a child, Valérie Brusseau’s curiosity about the world around her led to a strong interest in science and mathematics.

“I was always asking questions! How does it work? Why, why, why?”

Initial thoughts about becoming a teacher or a doctor were replaced by engineering when she won the very first Prix de la Femme Ingénieure, a prize designed to encourage women into engineering professions. She chose to specialise in aeronautical engineering, which promised a rewarding career. At that time, the Ariane 5 space launch vehicle was being developed, resulting in a lot of innovation and investment in this sector. This led to her first job at Aérospatiale, where Valérie worked on the Ariane 5’s propellant tanks, which were manufactured from carbon fibre composite. But she was also involved in military programmes, which conflicted with her personal values. So she decided to transfer her skills to the automotive industry.

She joined Tier 1 supplier Arvin Meritor Automotive for four years, where she was responsible for the design office for the catalyst and exhaust system, before moving to car maker Renault, which offered a more innovative environment. During her time at Renault Valérie worked on many components, including the body in white and plastic parts such as the bumpers. She was also responsible for various projects, which enabled her to gain experience of the whole process, from the design stage through to the start of production and launch of the vehicle. Her last role at Renault was chief electric vehicle platform engineer, where she was responsible for the Renault 5 E-Tech project. This 100% electric version of the iconic French car was launched at the Geneva Motor Show in February.

“What is important for me is the innovation, and to put in place new solutions that link to the planet. And that’s why I have chosen to work on the electrical platform when I was in Renault.”

This drive to exploit technology for the good of the planet led Valérie to join automotive group Valeo in 2022.

Valeo’s mission is to design innovative solutions for smart mobility, with a focus on reducing CO₂ emissions. Valeo has become the world leader in automotive electrification, both for high- and low-voltage solutions.

Innovation and teamwork

Valérie is research and development director of the Valeo Business Product Group Thermal Front End Modules. The front-end module integrates a number of components, such as heat exchanger, radiator and fan system, and it’s also designed for crash resistance. Traditionally the front-end module is manufactured from steel, but car makers need to reduce vehicle weight and carbon footprint. Valeo has therefore developed the Organosheet technology, a thermoplastic composite material combining polyamide (PA) or polypropylene (PP) resin with continuous glass fibres.

“We are transforming our traditional portfolio of steel to Organosheet. It gives three main advantages. It decreases the weight by about 30%. For the decarbonisation, you can reduce the CO₂ impact by about 50% if you compare to the aluminium part, and in terms of cost, it’s less expensive than the steel or aluminium. And you also have to remember that there will be a shortage in green steel and in green aluminium and with this new material, which is fully decarbonised, we have no shortage.”

As director of the business group Valérie leads teams in the United States, Europe, and Asia. She is also responsible for the group’s strategic development plan and its budget.

This role combines the two areas she values most: innovation and teamwork.

“What I enjoy is to transform an idea into real things with added value, with value for the customer and for the planet. And to have the team to do that, and to be sure that my team enjoys every day. The most important for me is the people. Because with all the technical aspects you are always going to find a solution, but the key success factor is a good team.”

Engineering needs more women

Valérie is passionate about getting more women into engineering careers.

“When I started as an engineer, there were less than 10% of women in the engineering school. Today, in France, we are at 23%. So it has changed a little, but it’s not sufficient. We absolutely need more women in all technology, science and engineering careers.”

But it’s not only a question of gender diversity, she continues. There are benefits to be gained throughout the organisation.

As an example, she highlights the design of new cars. If only men are in charge of designing new vehicles how will these new products meet the needs of women?

“You have to take care of your customers, and your customers are men and women. It’s also a question of efficiency. There are studies that show when you put 24% of women in an organisation, you increase the efficiency of the organisation by 40%.”

But how do we encourage more women into industry? Valérie is president of the Elles Bougent network, which is working to break down misconceptions and stereotypes and inspire more young women to embrace careers in science and engineering.

Fighting stereotypes

Founded in 2006, Elles Bougent connects schoolgirls and students with female engineers working in industry. It organises various events where these mentors talk about their careers and experiences and promote the exciting opportunities available in science and engineering.

“It’s important that very young girls, even seven years old, see these types of role models. Still today, we have to fight against the stereotypes, the culture that says boys can do maths and science, and girls should do literature, history, and so on.”

The achievements of Elles Bougent are impressive.

“Today, Elles Bougent organises more than 700 events per year. We get in touch with more than 40,000 young women per year. We have more than 350 corporate partners and more than 1200 mentors who motivate the young women to choose engineering careers. And we have six ministries in France who support us.”

Valérie estimates that, so far, Elles Bougent has encouraged more than 60,000 women to pursue careers in science and engineering.

Building the industry of tomorrow

Valérie’s advice to other women is simple yet powerful. 

“Dare, dare, dare! You can do it. Your dreams are possible.” 

“I strongly believe that the industry of tomorrow cannot be built without women. We absolutely need to explain that it’s vital more and more women come to the industry. And when they are in the companies, we need to put in place KPIs on gender diversity so that we continue to monitor these roles and help women to develop their careers.”

www.valeo.com