Favoriser l’innovation et promouvoir les femmes dans l’ingénierie : rencontre avec Lívia Mangualde

What is your role at Vallourec?

I work as a product engineer at Vallourec's Jeceaba facility in Brazil, where I develop new products for Vallourec's tubular goods portfolio. I also manage laboratory demands and coordinate testing for our ONE R&D Brazil team.

In my role, I have a lot of contact with our customers and different production teams. I also work with laboratories outside of Vallourec, for example, when we're developing a new material and need external testers to verify its behavior. This has the added benefit of ensuring that Vallourec's labs are meeting the highest standards of efficacy, as well as opening our engineers' minds to new methodologies.

How did you get where you are today?

I landed my first job at Vallourec as a junior process engineer. Starting out on the heat treatment line, I grew my skills step by step, eventually shifting to the role of quality engineer. I went on to join the team focused on industrialization-a new area for Vallourec & Sumitomo Tubos do Brasil (VSB) at the time. It was here that I discovered my love of products.

As a metallurgical engineer, I feel grateful to work with products all the time. Products constantly teach us new things by presenting challenges during production. During my Masters in Metallurgy, I specifically studied a topic concerning the rolling process that VSB is working towards solving. I developed solutions to this challenge during my studies, and now, in my career, I'm able to apply the methodologies I learned while building upon that knowledge.

What do you love about your job?

My role is constantly evolving! For instance, I am now starting to work with carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) materials. Developing my skills in this area is just one of the ways my job pushes me to learn and discover new things.

My work also allows me to engage with all the different processes at VSB, creating an ongoing dialogue with team members across different departments. In addition to connecting with my Vallourec colleagues along with external labs, I also maintain regular contact with the teams at the ONE R&D Center in Aulnoye. Weekly meetings with these teams, who come to Brazil several times a year, give way to in-depth discussions on testing and product performance. This rich interface makes for a mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and growth on all fronts.

What skills have helped you succeed in your job?

My sincerity and ability to express my opinion amongst my colleagues has helped me succeed throughout my career. That confidence may stem from my upbringing, as my father and other members of my family are engineers. Growing up in my household allowed me to accept early on that women aren't predominant in this line of work, and to grow while being fully aware of the reality of the industry.

I believe there are advantages to being a woman working with a majority of men - particularly because I think we know how to balance many projects at once. This is a skill I continuously leverage as a mother. Though balancing work and motherhood is challenging, I do my best to communicate the importance of my job to my daughter, which makes it easier for both of us.

What advice would you give to other women in your field?

The main thing I would say is to not to be intimidated by being in the minority. Confront problems by asserting yourself and working with the knowledge you have - in other words, be fearlessly authentic! By working alongside one another as equals, men can learn from us, and we can learn from them, enabling us to arrive at solutions together.