Elles Bougent: Naval Group’s impact after 18 months of honorary presidency

What did the honorary presidency of Elles Bougent mean to you?
Pierre Éric Pommellet: In my opinion, serving as the honorary president of Elles Bougent sent a strong signal regarding Naval Group’s commitment to its aim of attracting more women to the scientific and technical professions. It’s a responsibility that makes sense in view of our collective action in favour of diversity and is fully in line with our attractiveness strategy.

What is your assessment of this commitment after 18 months?
Pierre Éric Pommellet: I think the results show that my approach has been taken on board: the number of our godmothers and liaison officers has increased by 30% over the past year. This is a concrete indicator of the efforts employed by teams and of their support to this project. It shows that the commitment to gender diversity is not a mere intention, but a concrete reality that is making progress within the company.

What role do the godmothers play in this scheme?
Pierre Éric Pommellet: The godmothers play a decisive role, making often little-known professions more visible. They also serve as role models enabling girls to project themselves more easily in scientific and technical roles. They create a valuable direct link between the company and the younger generations, and contribute in practical terms to deconstructing stereotypes, as well as to creating female vocations in naval defence professions.

Apart from this partnership, what other actions have you taken to promote women in these professions?
Pierre Éric Pommellet: Alongside this partnership with Elles Bougent, we also carry out a number of actions to attract, retain and develop the skills of female talent. In particular, this includes initiatives in the field of engineering and digital technology, such as the organisation of “Girls can code” work placements in partnership with the Prologin association, and our sponsorship of the Femmes@numérique foundation. The aim is to intervene along the entire career path, from the career guidance stage to professional development.

What are the prospects now that you are handing over to a new honorary presidency?
Pierre Éric Pommellet: I have no doubt that Naval Group will keep up the pace of change now well underway. The foundations are strong, with teams increasingly motivated, and it is now vital that we maintain and expand this momentum. The priority remains the same: continue to increase the attractiveness of scientific and technical professions for girls, based on the key role of godmothers and concrete actions on the ground. The challenge now is to anchor these practices more firmly so that they become natural and systematic across all our professions.

 

What have the highlights of Pierre-Éric Pommellet’s presidency been and how has Naval Group contributed to expanding the reach of the Elles Bougent association?
Valérie Brusseau: During the 18 months of this honorary presidency I saw great commitment on the part of Pierre Éric Pommellet to the cause of increasing the number of women in scientific careers and deconstructing stereotypes. During his tenure, he really shifted the lines both within and outside Naval Group. Each site visit was a chance for him to engage with existing godmothers and motivate others to take up this role. Outside the company, I was also struck by his visit to his old primary school to support the Elles Bougent cause! Whenever the association needed him, he was always exceptionally responsive and available, despite all his other duties. In particular, he relayed our strategic plan to the supervisory ministries of Elles Bougent. So, yes, he played a key role, to an extent I have rarely seen before. He is fully convinced that team diversity is a source of collective efficiency.

What concrete progress has his presidency brought about?
Valérie Brusseau: The significant increase in the number of godmothers over the past 18 months shows real enthusiasm for the cause within Naval Group. Finally, from the point of view of the association, one of our strategic priorities is the transformation of the industry of tomorrow. The fact that a CEO of a defence industry group takes up our subject with conviction, insisting on the need to rely on all talents to defend our sovereignty, is extremely valuable for setting this change in motion. I would add that he has also done a lot for female technicians, especially welders, whose trade is not very well known. His enthusiasm in this regard has intensified our desire to broaden the perception of these trades and of female technicians. This will be set out in concrete terms in our next action plan, which will be revealed to mark the 20th anniversary of the association.
What are the future prospects for development with Naval Group?
Valérie Brusseau: We intend to build on what we have started with Naval Group. The role of an Elles Bougent godmother or liaison officer is always to explain her job in order to inspire, spark vocations, deconstruct stereotypes and open up the field of possibilities, but Naval Group godmothers require something extra, in the form of tenacity! Motivating female students and high school pupils to take up professions in defence is a real challenge, which they nevertheless manage to overcome with professionalism. They are able to discuss defence issues in a very positive way and argue in favour of bringing peace to our world. Their reassuring stance is a far cry from what we hear in the media and their words carry weight with high school and student communities. Girls are open to this sincere, humane vision, which offers them a place and corresponds to their quest for values. They also know how to promote the engineering and technical sciences, while emphasising the means and resources the group is able to offer. By evoking the societal interest this commitment can have for France, they come across as very convincing.

Has the deconstruction of gender stereotypes begun or is it a persistent issue?
Valérie Brusseau: I would say both. We live in an extremely patriarchal society that has been founded on male codes, unfortunately leaving little place for women. We therefore need to stand our ground and keep fighting. Gender stereotypes are deeply rooted in families, schools and among guidance counsellors. As a result, girls represent 46% of the workforce in science and technology but only 24% in engineering schools. The lack of female role models and the impostor syndrome – very prevalent in women – are partly responsible for this. In an attempt to influence these figures, the Ministry of Education has launched the “Girls and Maths” plan, to which Elles Bougent has contributed. This establishes quotas of 30,000 more girls in 2030 choosing Mathematics as a specialist subject and keeping it in their final year of high school, and at least 30% of girls in scientific preparatory classes by 2030.  

Would you say that Elles Bougent influences the vocations and commitment of girls in choosing their career?
Valérie Brusseau: Absolutely! According to the latest surveys, the results of which were revealed on our 20th anniversary, our association provided better knowledge of engineering professions and sectors for 93% of the students it met and for 83% of teaching and educational staff. We helped raise awareness of stereotypes for 66% of students and 49% of educational staff. Today, 22% of young women who met Elles Bougent found their first job thanks to the association, proof of our social impact. We are very proud to embody this powerful network of support between women and godmothers.