Pierre P. - Team Leader, Finite Elements Method - SAFRAN AERO BOOSTERS, Liège, Belgium

MINI PORTRAIT

Originally from Pontivy in Brittany, I chose Centrale Nantes mainly for its ranking and the courses it offers, in particular the specialisations in Energetics and Propulsion. I have heavily involved in the associative and sporting life of the school: since I have played football from an early age I joined the men’s team and coached the women's team. I was also elected to be a member of the Student Sport’s association, where I was in charge of organising events such as tournaments and social events.
As I was keen to join the workforce as quickly as possible I resisted the temptation to do a double-degree, a gap-year or a doctorate. The reputation of the school and the success of Centrale Nantes students made the search for my final year internship simple since I was all but recruited on the strengths of my application alone. Subsequent to this successful internship within the Safran group, I was offered a permanent position.

YOUR CURRENT POSITION

In 2013, I joined SAFRAN Aero Boosters in Liège (Belgium) where I started out as an engineer in Finite Elements Method. After two years in the post I was promoted to replace my line manager.

I am responsible for managing, coordinating and ensuring the quality of the finite element work of a team of eight specialized engineers whose task is to provide reliable, robust and efficient methods for the design office.

My cross-functional post allows me both to manage a team, and to remain involved in technical and high level mechanics. I hope in the short term to progress towards project or team management functions, whether in R&D, as currently, or in production. I may be interested in moving within the group to pursue international opportunities.

WHAT DID YOU ENJOY AT CENTRALE NANTES?

The multidisciplinary training really provides a very solid background on which you can rely. We can understand and adapt quickly to any new subject even outside our specialisations. This is reassuring for our counterparts.

ADVICE FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

It is true that the ranking counts enormously for prospective French students and that choosing a school at the top of the rankings is a sure bet. Centrale Nantes is even better: it was a very good school when I was there, but it is even better now and continues to climb!
It’s in a great location: Nantes is a dynamic city, with a young population and it’s a great place to live. The campus and atmosphere at school are excellent. I definitely spent my best years there and I do not regret my choice for a single moment.

CENTRALE NANTES IN THREE WORDS

Fulfilling - Demanding - Multicultural