Magazine Ultimate Jet #74

Tell us how you came to Dassault and how your career there has
evolved.
What I knew at the time at university is that I wanted to work in a high
technology environment and I wanted an internship in the U.S. I was
incredibly fortunate to earn a 10-month internship at Dassault Falcon
Jet in Teterboro, New Jersey. That was the perfect first job. I call
myself a Dassault Aviation baby, because I started with Dassault and
have been there ever since. I literally grew up here, and, surprising
as it may seem for a corporation of this size, it really does feel like a
family in many respects. That may be unique in the aerospace world.
I ended up spending 10 years at Falcon Jet, moving from intern, to
junior marketing analyst, senior analyst and marketing manager. It
ended up being an incredible 10 years in the U.S.
Any stand-out memories from that period?
My dad was passionate to discover America. He crossed the country
in the 60s in an old Chevy. Your readers may know this is a classic
American experience—to hit the open road. To see America in all its
vastness. I wanted to do the same thing. So before I came back to
Paris I put 12,000 miles on my old Toyota Corolla. I stayed in funny
motels, like a Tee Pee motel in New Mexico and one of the theme
hotels in Las Vegas—New York New York. It was the perfect way to
cap off a decade in the States.
You are one of the few women selling new business jets. You’re a
trailblazer. What have been the challenges of achieving that status?
One might not think of a 100-year-old company as being particularly
progressive, but in fact I’ve never felt treated differently as a woman.
When I’ve been ready for more responsibility, I’ve been advanced. And
actually, I’m not the pioneer at Dassault. That was my predecessor,
Anne Cattani, who is a true legend. She started flying and selling
Bonanzas and became quite successful and well known as a Dassault
sales director. I’m honored to follow in her footsteps.
Anne was a great role model, as was my mother, an engineer in the
nuclear power industry in the 70s—when it was really rare to find a
woman in such a male-dominated occupation.
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