Being a catalyst for change is not a competition. It's not about "winning" anything, launching a project, or developing a business. I believe that being a catalyst for change is a mindset; it's about acting in favour of a positive impact. This can include the smallest gestures: a smile, a kind word, offering support and encouragement to those around us. I am a catalyst for change because I act authentically, creating connections with my loved ones and colleagues. We form a community that acts with kindness and compassion. 

I've always loved people, spending time with my family and friends, but also with my colleagues. I am truly passionate about my role because I am constantly interacting with people. This interest in others grew significantly during COVID. I realized how privileged my family and I are. Until then, I had lived within the bubble of my community, thinking that life was more or less the same for everyone everywhere.

The pandemic opened my eyes. First, I realized how fortunate I was to continue working, which allowed my family to maintain economic stability that others didn't have. Then, I thought about other people's children, those whose families couldn't afford to send them to school or university, those who struggled to make ends meet. 

Thanks to my company's "People & Planet" philosophy, I had the opportunity to join the changemaker program. I learned a lot there, particularly about intrapreneurship. From that point, I began to think about how I could truly make a positive change in interpersonal relationships within my company and our community. I decided to leverage my experiences with other changemakers to help make a difference within the company and the community. 

The first phase of my journey involved encouraging collaboration, creativity, social connections, and empathy. I started by cultivating my human qualities and professional skills. I chose to step out of my comfort zone and act differently both at home and at the office to develop an inclusion policy. From generation to generation, we are encouraged to follow traditional patterns: go to school, then university, pass exams, find a job, and avoid taking risks. So, I opened myself up to risk and to my own vulnerability, while trying to understand the vulnerability of those around me. I aimed to approach others differently, to engage with more authenticity, shedding the mask of corporate norms.  

Becoming a changemaker also involves integrating small actions into daily life, questioning traditional communication patterns. It's about simply smiling, saying a kind word, offering support. This makes the company a better place to work. If we all follow this path, incorporating these small actions into our daily lives, it leads to significant change. It's with drops of water that we fill bottles. 

All of this has had a huge impact on my life. I've seen a real change in my relationships with people and situations. I've started to notice the benefit of a smile, a kind word on those around me. I no longer think, "I don't have time"—no time to chat, no time for kindness, no time to stop and ask people how they are. Because if we take the time for this social connection, we contribute to creating a work environment conducive to creative collaboration. The connection with others is the most important thing, whether personal or professional. 

At the office, for example, I try to take the time to talk with employees who aren't on my team. I show interest in their lives, hobbies, and what motivates them for the future. Opening up to others means opening up to the challenges people face. I believe this fosters social inclusion and enables a company to understand its employees and their needs. 

Since completing the program, I have become more flexible and open to new methods of working, collaborating, and communicating. I try to encourage my colleagues to share their ideas without censoring themselves, even if the project doesn't come to fruition. I help them overcome their fear of failure, creativity, and change—all deeply ingrained fears. I try to instil the idea that it's not the result that matters but the journey.

A typical example is continuous training, where people are afraid to enrol because they fear exams. I encourage them to see the exam itself as a learning experience. Regardless of their exam results, what matters is the journey, what they learn, what they retain, a new tool, a new idea, something they will bring back to their team and share. Sometimes, there are also multiple solutions to the same problem. It's about pushing the boundaries of creativity. 

In this spirit of change and being a changemaker, I initiated several projects within my company. One of them focuses on education: how can we help the young people in our community on their learning path? The following question was: what is the return on investment for the company? It took me some time to develop the project, understanding how it would, in some way, benefit both our company and our community.

I worked with local schools and academic institutions to identify areas where our company could provide expertise to students. I targeted both 15-year-olds and 20-year-olds. The younger ones come for an internship as part of their schooling. This experience helps them orient themselves and decide what they want to choose at university.

We host between 1 and 5 students per year. Our goal is to offer them a real mission within the department that interests them, whether in science or business. For example, if a trainee is interested in science, they will intern in the laboratory; if another is interested in mechanics, they will join the maintenance team where they will learn to repair machines. Tutors spend time with them, describing the specifics of their work so that the young person can refine their choices for university. I am convinced that the experiences they have with us will stay with them forever. Later, they will remember their internship with us and may want to come back and work. 

We do the same on a larger scale with university students. They explore various departments within the company, exposing them to fields beyond their studies. We train and mentor them, so they are ready to work right after graduation. Most of them return to work with us full-time, which is a great return on investment. It also strengthens our collaboration and partnerships with academic institutions in our community. 

While I initiated and implemented the program, my colleagues have been instrumental in its success. They embraced my idea with great enthusiasm, investing significant effort and energy into the program. Together, they created workshops and customized training modules for the students. This project embodies the spirit of social intrapreneurship, where everyone works towards a positive impact. I am grateful to lead this project, guiding these students on their educational journeys, just as I would for my own children.  

As an HR manager, I am proud to support a program that benefits our community and, in the long term, helps our company recruit talent. This initiative supports a community cause and unites us around a common goal. Our factory is located in a rural area. We are a small town of 20,000 people, and young people often leave once they graduate. Through projects like this, we hope to retain these talents. 

Looking back, I realize that my education program is a stepping stone to other projects. I see it as part of my journey as a changemaker, a piece of the puzzle leading to other socially impactful projects. How do you make a difference in a company with nearly 2,500 employees? How do you foster a sense of belonging? We all want to feel recognized and part of a community within a group. One of my future challenges is to develop this sense of recognition, to establish a pathway of belonging, and to strengthen the sense of community. 

It is not easy to convey the importance of "soft skills", those essential human qualities for interpersonal relationships, especially in today's world. In a corporate environment, many find it challenging to adopt friendliness and social connection. I remain convinced that conviviality is a good way to bring out the best in each of us, thereby generating more productivity. If you are warm, sincere, and open, you foster trust among your colleagues, and therefore their loyalty. 

At home, it’s the same. Sometimes, after a day of work, I just want to relax and spend some time alone. But I realize that's not the best idea, and it takes effort to apply the principle of social connection at home and with my family. I want to ensure I maintain good relationships with my children, family, and friends, contributing to building a better future. I aim to instil confidence in them, so they show kindness to the world, make autonomous decisions, and strive to lead inclusive lives. All of this is interconnected; what improves our working conditions also enhances our social lives and interpersonal relationships. This is what it means to live as a changemaker.