Project Manager Packaging Equipments at Gebo Cermex
EM Normandie - a gateway to the world
I started my higher education at medical school, before I chose to change direction for an undergraduate degree at EM Normandie.
And I’ve never looked back! The opportunity to study in English and the option to take some of my courses abroad was a big deciding factor for me. I have very fond memories of the six months I spent in Fu Jen Catholic University in Taipei in my third year. Diving into a culture I didn’t know was a really enriching adventure and considerably broadened my intellectual horizons hugely. Students came from all over the world, and we all had very different ways of working. For example,
I noticed that whereas the French students tended to wait until the last minute to do their work, the Asian students got started much earlier. I quickly learned to work differently, and I often look back nostalgically to that less stressful time...
International experience
I now live in Montreal, working for Gebo Cemex, a subsidiary of the Tetra Pak group, specialising in cardboard packaging for food products. As a Project Manager, I have a holistic view of all of our activity, and I get involved in the production, sales and installation of our machines, which we distribute throughout the whole of North America.
Our field uses a lot of cutting edge technology. That means I have to collaborate with a lot of different people across various continents, so I have to think a lot about time zones, and have to be agile and flexible in the way I work. There’s often a lot of pressure, because even the smallest problem with an order can have a knock-on effect on others.
My day to day work involves a lot of travel and my workload is quite heavy, but when I arrived in Montreal I discovered a quality of life I didn’t know existed. Here, there’s a very clear divide between work life and personal life. It’s much more clear-cut than in the USA, where I worked for a few months as a financial analyst before I moved to Canada.
Strong Alumni links
EM Normandie Alumni are a strong link with the school and many of them are present in Canada. We meet up and help one another ; I regularly give the team my news, but I’d like to get more involved, to fly the flag for EM Normandie and promote the values of solidarity, mutual support and commitment that I learnt there.
Vincent's advice :
" Grab opportunities whenever they appear, and don’t be afraid to have a go ! "
Testimonies
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Élodie Prunier-Taveirne
Deputy Director General HR at HAROPA PORT
A graduate of the class of 1998, Élodie looks back on her first impressions of the city of Le Havre and her first steps in the professional world within the port, a giant structure. She tells us about the merger between the 3 ports of Normandy and the challenges that this entails internally.
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Lise Veauvy
Director of Operations, Leetchi
She tells us about her career path, from the big laundry groups to Leetchi, and explains how she fulfilled her thirst for curiosity and found a work/life balance.
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Virginie Vast
Purchasing Manager at Amazon
From Siemens to Amazon via Vodafone, she tells us about her career in the purchasing sector and her numerous international experiences. She looks back on her years at EM Normandie and on the "Pink Ladies" association.
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Camille - My Job in Montreal
Prototype Buyer at Volvo
Camille, currently working as a Prototype Buyer at Volvo in Canada, talks about her international career path and shares her experience of life in Montreal.
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Constance Caruel
Planning Manager at Kromatix
Constance Caruel, a graduate of the class of 2018, is currently Planning Manager at Kromatix and tells us all about her career.
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Juliette Dô
Logistics Site Manager, Volvo
She likes the purchasing business because it is unpredictable. She started out in the railway industry and now works for Volvo in Canada.