Portrait of Charlotte PEUTIN (ISA, 1997)

• HELLO, can you briefly introduce yourself?

Charlotte PEUTIN, I'm from JUNIA ISA, class of 30, and I'll be turning 50 this year. I'm lucky enough to be the mother of 3 grown-up children. My career has been totally oriented towards retail, starting with Auchan, which lasted 18 years. I then worked in the banking and insurance sector for 7 years, and just joined Chronodrive 7 months ago. I've always described myself as a lover of commerce, which is really what I discovered when I left the ISA. I'd worked more on subjects related to raw products, and I fell into retail at the end of my studies, discovering the thrilling and exciting side of commerce. Over time, I became passionate about data, customer knowledge and fine numerical analysis, as well as everything to do with accounting, margins and KPIs. I realized that this mix could give me the perfect balance between a passion for products and a passion for commerce.

The combination of products and business, which are part of my educational and professional background, means that today I'm still a businesswoman with an engineer's heart.

• We're going to take a trip down memory lane. Can you tell us about your university career: training, specialization, associative life, projects, internships?

One point that stands out for me and that I'd like to emphasize is that I followed a public school curriculum before joining JUNIA, a private school. It was when I joined ISA that I discovered team spirit, meeting new people and helping each other out. The spirit within the Catho / JUNIA and my class was very formative and revealing for me. It highlighted my need to be part of a group, and the importance of being surrounded by people who share our desires and values.

My sense of leadership has already manifested itself in my school career, as I was part of the junior enterprise, represented my class and was also involved in the student office. This has given me a particular sensitivity to JUNIA's values. For me, it's important to give back everything that ISA has been able to give me.

It's also for this reason that I now play an administrative role within JUNIA (ISA, Yncréa and now JUNIA). This loyalty to the school is an integral part of my values, as is going back to my roots. At the time, I followed the INOVAN curriculum, which focused on innovation, but what still stands out for me today is the 5-year generalist diploma in agriculture and agri-food. What's certain is that today, it remains a deep conviction, because anything close to nature and food is my raison d'être.

• What's your best memory of your studies at JUNIA (HEI, ISA and ISEN Lille)?

I'd have to say the bond I forged with my best friend, Céline Descamps, who was in my class. We were a great bunch of friends, but there was a bond that grew out of understanding our common differences, and we were able to support each other. It was ISA that brought us together, and it's a very fond memory. For me, the ISA is all about human encounters.

• When you were studying, did you already know what you wanted to do and what job you were aiming for?

I'm a very organized woman, but I don't plan anything!

I didn't know anything about it. I got an interview through a friend who shared the offer with me, and that's how I got into it. I ended up working in a fishmonger's as a sales manager (buying and selling in the store), and that's when I said to myself, "Commerce is great!

The only career plan I've put into my life recently is to do 5 jobs at full speed. I was coached, accompanied and I said to myself: I'm going to set myself a goal, 5 jobs at full throttle! The last one will be self-employment, that's for sure. I'll have no one to manage but myself, even if it means being a baker abroad!

• What has been your career path since graduating?

I worked at Auchan as a category manager, mainly in product management, always in the ultra-fresh sector. I spent 10 years in the fish counter. In this position, you're involved in everything from purchasing to supply management and sales, always with an international outlook. I've bought salmon in Norway, lobster in Canada...

I started out with 10 years focused on supply/purchasing in the fishmonger's, then devoted 4 years exclusively to the product, category management and stand animation, notably in cheese and delicatessen. Then, over the next 4 years, I moved on to manage a team of 12 people in the fields of customer knowledge and loyalty programs. It was then that I discovered the world of pure data.

Then I joined ONEY Banque, a bank belonging to the Auchan group. Initially, I managed the Auchan account on the banking side. After a year, I became sales manager for France, and after four years, I was promoted to international sales manager. Finally, a firm came looking for me to work for Chronodrive.

I started my professional career 7 years ago, just over the age of 40. I think the main reason for this was the need to break through the glass ceiling. I realized that I couldn't allow myself to lift a finger. That day triggered something in me. I went on to become a member of the management committee, took on a team and, realizing my ability to adapt, went back to school to get a degree in digital marketing.

I opened up a world of possibilities, freeing myself from a fear. I was no longer ashamed to say that I wanted to succeed and have a career. When you agree with yourself, you move forward.

Some mornings, I wake up and I can't believe I'm a director. When you let go, it changes a lot of things and you shouldn't hesitate to ask for help. You mustn't be afraid to tell others that you need help, that you have doubts, and so on.

Today, I'm joining companies with increasingly senior positions. I want to keep moving and challenge myself.

• What are the main tasks in your job?

With my team, we define the products we make available to consumers, at what price, according to what supply and with what promotion. I have these 4 pillars, and my main challenge when I arrived here is that we are a supermarket where you buy via your cell phone. With my teams, we have the challenge of making products visible, highlighting their qualities and offering suggestions for consumption, cooking and preparation. Our aim is to win the customer's absolute trust.

What's more, we're facing a number of human challenges. We're in a post-covid economic crisis, and this reality is felt in every company, both internally and by consumers. As a manager, this represents a human challenge for me. However, it's one of the challenges I like to take up. I work on the principle that every human being is good, and that you have to work with everyone to bring out the best in them.

Being at Chronodrive today is a bit like returning to my first love, food. You keep your strengths from the past and adapt them.

• How has your network (school, alumni association, family, professional) played a role in the development of your career?

All in all, the opportunities I've had and the diploma I've got, just the recognition of the diploma, helped me with my first job. When an employer sees a CV with JUIA on it (if it's an alumni), you're bound to get a heartbeat. The alumni network and this culture of mutual support are great assets in helping us forge links.

Whatever happened, in all the companies I worked for, even if things were going well, I consulted recruitment agencies to assess my situation, see where I was in my career and determine my professional objectives.

Networking doesn't just work for you, it also works for sharing experience, listening to advice and perhaps discovering new opportunities. It's especially important when things are going well.

A network is made up of people who connect with each other. You have to be able to give a little of your time. I simply share my experience and, if I can offer a contact or open a door, I do. I think you have to try to treat others as you would like to be treated the day you ask a question. You have to dare to ask the question, dare to ask, in the worst case you get a no. You have to trust, you have to trust yourself, but above all you have to dare!

When I'm asked, I try to answer and be there. I'm one of those people who believe strongly in JUNIA and in this plurality of three diplomas.

At present, I'm an administrator. In addition, I regularly sponsor ISAs and try to help young people who want to study. What's more, for years I've been taking part in appointments for post-baccalaureate admissions.

• As a female engineer working in a professional environment that is often considered and stereotyped as masculine, would you have any advice for current female students considering a similar career path?

I was lucky enough to be brought up by very feminist parents, which meant I never felt constrained. I grew up in an environment where autonomy was valued. My dad, who was an engineer, used to tell us: "The advantage of being an engineer is that you can do anything". That's why my sister and I both joined JUNIA.

Already during my studies, I was the type to defend the idea that a woman could also lead. Personally, I've never felt unbalanced, but I've observed it around me. However, it can be done, as long as you dare! You have to dare.

In my professional career, I quickly became part of a network of women, because at every stage, I find it essential to help each other, and there aren't that many female role models. We have to keep creating them, ladies.

That's not to say there shouldn't be male role models. For me, being a feminist means men and women being united, all together. So, yes, it's possible.

A boss once told me: "It's not being a woman manager that's complicated, it's being a managerial couple".

Let's face it, it's by no means impossible, but it does require a couple's family organization. As far as I'm concerned, we have to keep going. Equality has not yet been achieved, and we must continue to break glass ceilings. We have to keep working with men, because it's only by working together that diversity will become strength.

Being a mother, being a woman, being yourself and holding management positions is totally feasible, but as with any profession, it requires organization. It's a question of balance and discussion. I continue to advocate it, because for me, autonomy is important, whatever it may be, for many reasons. That's what you learn as an engineer: to work as a team while retaining your autonomy of thought.

• Another message to pass on?

Ladies, we need more female role models! You have the same abilities, whether in your studies or in your jobs. You'll ask yourself the same questions as a man, so don't worry.