With 25 years of experience in DCNS shipyards, Hervé is an engineer who enjoys working with people in the thick of the action. He manages the maintenance of fifteen ships in Brest as well as the IPER (military dry dock) work site, representing a thousand employees.
After graduating from ENSTA Bretagne (then known as ENSIETA), Hervé went to work in Cherbourg, where he was responsible for hull building and managed a team of thirty. He took the opportunity to learn from his site director's long experience in the field, and management soon entrusted him with larger projects. At the age of 30, he was managing several hundred people.
"I like to motivate my teams and see things happen; it’s the concrete side of this job."
At the same time, he began a family and got himself to the work site early each morning so he could come home a little earlier and experience his kids growing up. Two of his children were born in Brest, three in Cherbourg, and one in Lorient as his postings evolved (Brest-Cherbourg-Lorient-Toulon-Brest). His is a large family, which he makes time for alongside his busy work life.
The workday is full and he interacts with a lot of people, including workers on site, management (who have to be kept informed of each project's progress), clients and subcontractors. This makes for a full schedule, but Hervé is an energetic person who doesn't back down when faced with a problem.
"Being an engineer also means having common sense. You have to recognize when there's a risk, and trust yourself."
Hervé is still passionate about his work after 25 years on the job:
"There's always something new to learn."
news
