Frédérique Coeuille, Valeo: Believe in your dream
In this Women in Composites interview, we meet Frédérique Coeuille, director of materials engineering at Valeo, who first explored her passion for innovation in the energy sector, before joining Valeo’s mission to advance decarbonisation in the automotive industry.
Frédérique Coeuille’s interest in materials science was sparked at school.
“From the beginning, I was attracted to science,” she says. “I remember a young teacher who explained how science linked with the materials everywhere in our environment. And that’s probably why I decided to study physics and chemistry, as applied to materials. I was especially interested in non-metallic materials because this was new and such a great challenge.”
She wanted to deepen her understanding of the topic and continued to study for a PhD in Materials Sciences and Engineering at Mines Paris – PSL. Her project, a collaboration with energy company Gaz de France, explored the ageing of polymer coatings for gas pipes.
Experience in energy
The next step in Frédérique’s career took her to the Italian oil and gas company Saipem. She joined its French office, in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, as a corrosion engineer working on anti-corrosion materials and polymer coatings. She progressed to materials director, leading a team to qualify polymer insulating systems and coatings for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) projects, where she was in charge of the qualification, monitoring and construction of onshore and offshore structures for materials. This offered her a valuable opportunity to see her projects become a reality.
“It was great because, when you design materials for construction, you see the end of the story. You can be there on-site to see what happens; you see the structure you have designed emerge from the ground,” she says.
Following 11 years with Saipem, Frédérique continued her journey in the energy sector with Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT) in Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse. GTT specialises in membrane containment systems for transport and storage of LNG. The company is known for its innovation and technical excellence and relies on its substantial portfolio of patents and continuous investment in R&D to maintain its market leadership.
Frederique joined GTT as R&D director, where she was tasked with building a team dedicated to polymer and composite materials. Over the next 6 years, she moved on to become materials R&D director, and then innovation director. In this role, she supported the development of the patent portfolio and promoted a culture of innovation and cross-functional collaboration.
“GTT’s technology is kind of unique and my mission was to find new materials which could be used for this kind of design. The team was really great, and we achieved many, many innovations. It was a big step in my career, firstly technically, then in management, because at the end I had a team of 120 people working with me on R&D and innovation in materials.”
A new industry, a big challenge
In 2020, the opportunity to develop innovative ‘green’ materials solutions with lower carbon footprint attracted Frédérique to the automotive supplier Valeo.
“For me, it’s very important to deal with this topic, for the planet, for our future. How do we find new materials with lower CO2, but which comply with our automotive specifications? It’s a big challenge,” she claims. “Sometimes we win, sometimes we fail, depending on the materials, because it’s R&D. But we have to show that we are ready to put new green materials in our products and to develop more of them.”
Composites are one of the key materials to enable this transition.
“I’m sure we will have more and more composite materials in our designs because we have to think about lightweighting. And in terms of CO2, it’s better. So of course, this will be part of the future, and not only for the automotive industry.”
Joining a new company in a new industry during the second phase of the Covid pandemic was a big challenge at the start, Frédérique notes. She had to prove herself to the team.
“You have to show that you know what you’re doing, that you know what needs to be done, and that you can manage the team,” she explains.
But, like her Valeo colleague Valérie Brusseau (read Valérie’s Women in Composites interview), Frédérique relishes the challenges of transforming innovative concepts into competitive real-world products and uniting teams around common objectives. Her success in achieving these objectives was recognised with a Valeo Group R&D innovation award in November 2023.
“It was a big surprise for me because I’m new in Valeo; it was only 3 years after I started. I was very proud of this award for all the work we have done for green materials. I accepted the prize, but it’s for the team also, and I dedicated it to the team,” she says.
It could be difficult, but you will succeed
In France, approximately 30% of engineers are women. And although more women are joining the industry today, it can still be a difficult environment, Frédérique observes: “You have to prove every day that you are capable of doing what men are doing. You have to show that you can do it. You have to work harder. So it could be difficult, but you’ll succeed.”
Her advice to other women is to never give up: “Believe in your dream. Do what you want to do and be proud of what you have already done. And please keep going, you can do it!”.
Cover photo: Frédérique Coeuille, Valeo (source: Frédérique Coeuille).
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