One day, one woman: Céline Le Berre, mechatronics engineer
In celebration of International Women’s Rights Day on 8 March, this week we are highlighting some of the female talent at the heart of France’s Orient Express Racing Team. Today we feature Céline Le Berre, a mechatronics engineer from Brest.
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MEET CÉLINE
What is your role with the team?
I'm a mechatronics engineer. My job is to develop the boat's controls, to make sure that all the on-board devices work properly.
What are the values that drive you?
Conscientiousness, curiosity, communication, challenge and, most importantly for me, team spirit: "One team, one dream". If I feel supported, I can really give the best of myself.
Her vision of the place of women in the world in general and in sport in particular:
Worldwide, there's still a lot of progress to be made. We're a long way from having an egalitarian society. It's quite frightening sometimes because you get the impression that we're stagnating. When I travel, I don't think it's normal to have to stop myself from doing certain things because I'm a woman.
On a personal level, I think there's been a big change around me. Women are much more taken into consideration. We're no longer side-lined, even in my profession, which is very male dominated. I've got quite a strong character, which I've built up over time because I've been working in a male environment since Year 2. There were only four girls in my class when I started technical studies, while still taking a general baccalaureate. That means I'm not overwhelmed by people from a generation when it was less common for women to be heard. Just because you're a woman doesn't mean you don't have your say. But I'm faced with this kind of situation less and less often.
It's the same in sport. We're seeing developments, but I'm concerned to see that we're self-satisfied with small steps forward when what's needed is a major revolution. But I learned to see the glass as half full while I was living in Ireland, whereas in France we tend to see it as half empty. I try to take a positive view of things.
What is your message on International Women's Rights Day? Specifically to young women?
My message to women would be: "Don't hide, stand up and claim your place". I don't want to talk about fighting because I don't see it that way, I prefer people to change because they understand that equality would have a real positive impact and that everyone is responsible at their own level. Communication and understanding are the way forward.
This message is also addressed to men: "Stop and look around you, does the society we live in seem fair to you? What if the roles, the power, were reversed?"
And for the next generation, don't let old habits stop you from doing what you think is right, society is changing, forcing a little could help it change faster. "Just Do It”.
How do you feel about taking your place as a woman at sea or within a company?
I think this is still a reality in everyday life, at least in women's minds. I always find myself doubting when my male colleagues don't bother with so many questions. In my job, I think there was a time when I really needed to assert that I was there as an engineer and that I was as capable as a man, but to be honest, in all the teams I've joined, I've always found my place. Although even though I knew I belonged, I think I had that extra pressure to prove that I had that right. Society is changing and, as women, we not only have to assert that we are capable of many things, but also to believe in our abilities and in ourselves. The total trust of my colleagues helped me to work towards this.
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BIOGRAPHY
An engineer by trade with an international profile, Céline Le Berre joined Orient Express Racing Team as a mechatronics engineer in June 2023. It's a new challenge that the Breton sports and technology enthusiast is taking up with enthusiasm and determination.
Céline Le Berre grew up in Brest with a family that was passionate about sailing. As a child she spent her holidays on the family boat. She competed in Optimists, windsurfers, and catamarans until she was 15 and to this day still owns a small boat. But her true passion was basketball, which she played from the age of seven for 25 years. She made her competitive debut with the Guipavas team, before going on to join the basketball team at INSA Rennes, where she was studying. After suffering a number of injuries, she spent a year on the bench as a coach but returned to competitive basketball at the start of her professional career, first with Rennes, then with Neuville-de-Poitou, where she played in the Regional league. She was also part of a Batucada for a while. "I love team sports. I find this aspect in my everyday life and in my work. I like working as part of a team. Basketball has taught me how to develop, win and lose as part of a team".
With an eye to helping others, Céline joined two high school friends who were setting up a humanitarian project. She was in her final year. "I wanted to share, to do something to help those less fortunate than us, to discover other cultures. The idea was to help street children in the Philippines with a local charity in 2000, but unfortunately there were bomb attacks there two months before we left. As it was too dangerous to go, the two teachers who were accompanying us in our project made sure that we could help the association in a different way, by sending funds", explains Céline.
"In the end, we went to Cairo for three weeks to finish work on a school for blind children. We took the opportunity to visit several schools for disabled children and a number of associations. It was an enriching experience. Travel is always important in my personal and professional life. I love meeting new people, exchanging ideas and trying to understand their culture. It gives you a different perspective on things."
As far as her studies were concerned Céline, who showed a clear preference for Lego Technic over dolls when she was a child, decided early on that she was going to be an engineer. However, she waited until the INSA Rennes open day a few years later to choose her speciality. "I was hesitating between Civil Engineering and Electronics and Industrial Computing. The latter offered the possibility of doing a year's Erasmus abroad, so I chose it and spent my final year in Scotland. It was really enriching because it gave me a double degree and enabled me to see the cultural differences in the way a project is carried out". With her final year project centred at the school’s research centre,
Next, Céline moved to Châtellerault to start her career at Magneti Marelli, where she worked on on-board computers for Peugeot. She then moved back to Rennes and held a number of positions in the mobile phone industry, particularly in customer support. "I travelled a lot to Asia in this capacity. My love of travelling and cultural exchanges helps me in my job because different cultures have different ways of expressing themselves. Listening is essential if the product is to be usable by the customer."
She then moved on to other projects in Rennes as an external consultant, which enabled her "to see a lot of different things". She worked on a number of medical projects, including an intracranial pressure monitor, before moving abroad again, this time to Ireland. She spent two years in Dublin working on industrial robots. "It was really rewarding, but I didn't really like the very conservative side of Ireland and island life, so I came back to Brittany, near the sea, in Lorient, where I worked on the design of underwater drones for four years. I managed a small team, which was really exciting".
Céline then decided to set up on her own to explore new horizons with a multi-client approach. At that point, she came across a job offer posted on LinkedIn by David Gautier, head of the Electronics & Mechatronics department at Orient Express Racing Team. Her assignment as a mechatronics engineer with the team began last June.
"It was a great opportunity, which doesn't come along every day, so I decided to go for it. It's a great technical and sporting challenge. It's really motivating to work in a sailing team.” As part of the team, she is working on the control and piloting of the sails and foils, as well as energy management on board the AC75.
"Up until now, I've mainly been working on the LEQ12, adapting the controls and the HMIs (human/machine interfaces) to meet the needs of the sailors, and also a little on the simulator so as to offer a simulator that is consistent with reality. It's great to get feedback from the sailors on a day-to-day basis, to be able to talk to them as well as the hydraulic and electronics engineers."
Despite her busy schedule, Céline finds time for sport alongside her work, in particular triathlons, which she has been doing for six years. "I run a lot, when I'm not injured. I also cycle. Generally speaking, I prefer to be out in nature, walking and swimming. I take advantage of the days off to take a few photos of Barcelona with my camera, it's relaxing. And to follow the French national team matches on television."
Her vision of the place of women in the world in general and in sport in particular: "Worldwide, there's still a lot of progress to be made. We're a long way from having an egalitarian society. It's quite frightening sometimes because you get the impression that we're stagnating. When I travel, I don't think it's normal to have to stop myself from doing certain things because I'm a woman.
"On a personal level, I think there's been a big change around me. Women are much more taken into consideration. We're no longer side-lined, even in my profession, which is very male dominated. I've got quite a strong character, which I've built up over time because I've been working in a male environment since Year 2. There were only four girls in my class when I started technical studies, while still taking a general baccalaureate. That means I'm not overwhelmed by people from a generation when it was less common for women to be heard. Just because you're a woman doesn't mean you don't have your say. But I'm faced with this kind of situation less and less often.
"It's the same in sport. We're seeing developments, but I'm concerned to see that we're self-satisfied with small steps forward when what's needed is a major revolution. But I learned to see the glass as half full while I was living in Ireland, whereas in France we tend to see it as half empty. I try to take a positive view of things."
Date of birth: 8 September 1982
Place of birth: Brest, France
Motto: "To stay is to exist, but to travel is to live".
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CÉLINE AND THE AMERICA'S CUP
What the America's Cup means to her: "The cutting edge of technology in the world of sailing. As an individual and as a team, it's a great challenge and a great goal."