Sylvie Audoly, Technical Support

To mark International Women’s Day 2024, we spoke to some of the many women working at Rousselot. In this series, they share their thoughts on their experiences at the company, offer advice to young women aspiring to work in the industry, and much more. In this edition, we meet Sylvie Audoly, Technical Support.

When did you start at Rousselot/Gelnex?

‘I started to work for Rousselot 36 years ago. It was my first job, as Application Lab Manager, before I moved to Technical Support a few years later.’

What would be your advice for a young girl who would like to work in the industry?

‘The only limit is yourself and the image you may have of working in the industry. For me, I knew that because of my studies in the food industry, which had many women, I would find my place in the industry.

‘In the food and pharma industry, which I am most familiar with, there are many opportunities for women in various functions - not only in traditional quality and R&D roles, but also in production, sales, regulatory, supply chain, maintenance, finance, and more…’

Why do you think Rousselot/Gelnex is a welcoming company for women?

‘Back in the '90s, when we were part of Elf Sanofi, there were already many women working across production, maintenance, quality, sales, supply chain, regulatory, and R&D. I never felt that being a woman had an impact on my job. For instance, I had the chance to work in technical applications with our mother company, Elf Aquitaine, and test a new polysaccharide in drilling fluids at an industrial scale.

‘Working here is a chance to belong to an international company that has an open mind towards different cultures, with colleagues from all continents. Personally, working at Rousselot is not 'just' working for a company. It has a team spirit, with friends more than colleagues, helping each other and doing their best for the company and customers. From my own experience, the success of a project is never individual but depends on our ability to work as a team within the whole organization.’

Anything else you want to share…

‘There is still a lot to learn, even after so many years, with new areas to explore, new problems to solve, or new people to meet from different areas and cultures, with different knowledge, backgrounds, and perspectives. For a fulfilling career, every day should be a new adventure, with challenges and the ability to adapt to any changes or difficulties that may occur. And whether you are a man, or a woman isn't relevant.’