Emilie Gex, manager of the Lausanne branch, on the left, and Yasmine Biselx, civil engineer in Sion, on the right
What inspired you to pursue a career in engineering? What was the trigger?
Emilie Gex: "I remember that period very well, and I even have a little anecdote to share! When I decided to become an engineer, I didn't have any scientific background at all. My secondary education was focused on economics and law, and I was initially destined to study at a business school (HEC) or in a similar field. That all changed thanks to an exceptional biology teacher. It was this teacher who sparked my interest in science. He made us aware of the beauty of the 'mechanics of life', as well as the challenges of biodiversity, water and energy resources, long before environmental issues became as much a part of society as they are today.
At the end of the 90s, climate change was not such a central concern. But this professor succeeded in opening our eyes to these issues, and that resonated deeply with me. I then decided that, when I grew up, I wanted to work in a field where I could take action in response to these major societal challenges. For a long time I hesitated between studying biology, to better understand and analyse ecosystems, and environmental science and engineering, which I had discovered through a friend.
I realised that it was through engineering studies that I could really take action and propose concrete solutions, and be an agent of change. That's what tipped the balance, but I would also have loved to be a biologist.
As for my anecdote, I went to see a guidance counsellor to help me with my choice of study. Her answer stunned me: "Oh, you know, the EPFL is more of a boys' school. I'd recommend biology. In the early 2000s, it really bothered and irritated me that someone could say that to a young girl in search of her path. Who knows, this episode may have strengthened my desire to choose engineering, to defy the clichés, you might say."
Yasmine Biselx: "When I was 6, I went to an old cellar where I discovered a magnificent stone vault, and from that day on I was fascinated by statics, construction and the ingenuity of building. For my 10th birthday, I was given the gift of a visit to a tunnel under construction and here I am, 25 years later, building myself the objects that have fascinated me so much."
Can you tell us about your career path? What have been your main challenges and successes to date?
Emilie Gex: "After graduating from EPFL with a degree in environmental science and engineering in 2006, I started my career at CSD as a project engineer, where I had the opportunity to explore various fields. At CSD, the variety of tasks was exciting, ranging from impact studies and environmental risk assessments to managing building pollution sites and waste management projects.
In 2011, I spent a year in industry, with a mandate from Nestlé to analyse the water use at the Nescafé factory and propose solutions for optimising it. It was fascinating and perfectly synchronised with a personal project that was close to my heart. After a sabbatical year travelling around the world with my partner, I was contacted by Félix Schmidt, then Director and Head of Export at CSD, to join the team working on projects abroad. I accepted straight away, attracted by the idea of continuing to explore the world and use my technical and linguistic skills. Six exciting years followed, spent between Switzerland, Peru, Bolivia, Central America and Albania, supporting local authorities in implementing waste management solutions, industrial companies in improving their processes and collaborating with colleagues in Switzerland on complicated impact studies and in-house and EPFL courses.
An interesting opportunity arose in 2019, when I was approached to lead Movi+, a cooperative focused on developing cross-functional projects in public transport, particularly in digital services. I accepted the challenge and left CSD to manage this cooperative.
After two very stimulating and rewarding years at the head of Movi+, I was faced with a dilemma and finally chose to return to the consultancy and CSD, which offers infinite possibilities in terms of the diversity of tasks and projects. Joining Pascal Helfer as deputy director of the VD environment branch in 2022 was the perfect opportunity to combine my interests in business management, leading groups, the environment and multidisciplinarity. Since 1 January, I've been head of CSD's Lausanne branch.
The common thread in terms of challenges and successes is that, very often in my career, I've been confronted with completely new situations, in contexts that were foreign to me in terms of language, culture and areas that were sometimes far removed from my field of expertise, and that I've been able to adapt to them."
Yasmine Biselx: "I did an apprenticeship as a draughtswoman in civil engineering, where I worked in a lot of different areas. I was passionate about construction and wanted to get more involved in the actual building work. CSD gave me the opportunity to do so in 2015 when a drinking water reservoir was being built. After that, I trained for a master's degree in civil engineering and here I am, a few years later, building almost anything that can be built. I mainly work on district heating projects, WWTPs, watercourses and various other structures.
The biggest challenges for me are balancing costs, quality and deadlines on extremely complex, multidisciplinary projects. This constant race against the clock pushes us beyond our comfort zones every time, but brings out the best in us: constant adaptation."
Can you share a story or professional moment of which you are particularly proud?
Emilie Gex: "Nothing gives me more satisfaction than to see the collective intelligence of a group put into action and come up with a solution or an idea that nobody could have achieved on their own.
I don't have any examples of personal pride to put forward, but collective successes, to which I hope I've contributed!"
Yasmine Biselx: "I think it will always be the microtunnel boring machine under the Rhône that bore my first name. It was a wonderful adventure!"
What skills or qualities have been most useful to you in your career as an engineer?
Emilie Gex: "It takes a great deal of listening, understanding and analysis to manage complex projects with multidisciplinary and often contradictory issues. It's essential to understand, analyse and translate the various needs into concrete objectives, while negotiating with the players involved to reach a consensus. Technical skills, an analytical mind and good communication skills are needed to deal with these issues and interact with parties who speak different languages. In concrete terms, accountants do not speak the same language as civil engineers, who do not speak the same language as environmental engineers or geologists. They will not have the same language, nor the same priorities as the architect or the politician. But all these people need to get along.
I also believe that perseverance and optimism are essential if we are to meet the challenges that persist throughout a project. By adopting a facilitative and positive attitude, we can help find solutions and maintain progress."
Yasmine Biselx: "Resilience and a sense of humour! Without forgetting to think, invent, imagine, innovate, often, quickly and well."
Can you describe a complex project or problem you've worked on recently and how you approached it?
Emilie Gex: "I don't have a specific example to share, but generally speaking, I approach complex problems by breaking them down into small, manageable problems and applying the concepts of analysis, listening and reformulation described above. This generally enables the source of the problem to be identified, variants to be proposed, analysed, compared objectively and, if all goes well, the problem solved."
Yasmine Biselx: "Multidisciplinary projects (civil engineering, environment and building technology) are our major challenges at the moment. They're extremely interesting, but they require a constant ability to adapt and learn."
What advice would you give to young women considering a career in engineering?
Emilie Gex: "Just go for it! Above all, not to see your gender as a barrier and to do the things that you want to do and that make sense to you. We do what we believe in!"
Yasmine Biselx: "If you want to change the world, start by building it!"