Meet the new Chicago representative Laurène Rokvam (Bo.210)

Details
  1. Tell us about your career path and area of expertise today. How did it come about?

I started to work for Airbus Nantes as soon as I finished my studies. I was working in the quality department, on the composite area.

After a year and half, I decided to find a smaller company and I’ve been hired by Serac, a company designing packaging machines

 

  1. What do you do every day at work? How does being a Gadz’Arts help you in your everyday tasks and team management?

 

As a project manager I’m handling completely the different projects for the Dairy industry: definition of the machine according to customer requirement, design of the machine, leading the other designers and the electrical engineer, following up the workshop assembly, etc… until the final acceptance of the machine at the customer plant.

Being Gadz’Art helped me to have the technical skills, a global vision of the projects and the ability to lead a team.

 

  1. How did you come to the US- why and when? How is your work life different than in France?

I arrived in the US two years and a half ago, I have the US citizenship so it was easier for me and I wanted to do something different, to leave outside of France. I contacted Aurore who helped me a lot to prepare my documents and to find a job.

Living in the US is much more different from France that I could have imagine. I would say that the way of working in the US is fairer than in France: if you’re good and you’re working hard, you can do anything you want. And this is a feeling that I didn’t have any more in France.

 

  1. What is the best advice someone ever gave you? Why?

My Airbus manager told me many times: “If you say something, be sure that this is true and that you fully understand why. If you don’t know, if you’re not sure or if you realize you made a mistake, say it immediately, don’t wait for somebody to found out”.

Being truly honest about what I know and what I understand helped me to have customer, manager and colleague trust. Staying humble and being able to admit when I don’t know something also helped me in many ways.

 

 

  1. What is one favorite way to spend your free time (hobbies, weekend activities)?

 

I usually enjoy playing tennis or any kind of sport. I like just walking in Chicago and discovering something new every day. I’m trying to travel when I have a chance to discover a bit more this amazing country.

 

Thank you again for sharing your experience and thoughts on life in the USA for Gadz'Arts! AFAM is grateful for your support.