"My advice: Don't pay attention to clichés"
Nelly Montenay, Head of Science and Testing for Fluid Management Technologies at Sartorius in Aubagne
When Nelly Montenay, a trained Material Science Manager, joined Sartorius at the Aubagne site in France in 2007, this was the first day after the merger between Sartorius AG and Stedim. Today, Nelly supports Sartorius’ customers as Head of Science and Testing in the Product Development for Fluid Management Technologies. Learn more about her career choice and path in this interview.
This article is posted on Sartorius Blog.
Nelly, to start with, what do you do at Sartorius?
Our overall goal, of course, is to make life easier for our customers at any stage of the drug manufacturing process. In the Product Development department, we try to support them by bringing more and more innovative solutions onto the market. This is what drives me every day – it’s my main ambition.
Specifically, my team and I encourage customers to use single use technologies with much faster and more efficient processes. We do this by helping them better understand the polymer used in single-use technologies, for example through product demonstrations and showing them how their equipment interacts with our solutions and how they can benefit from this.
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Why did you pursue a career in biotechnology?
During my studies in polymeric materials, I’d never heard of biotechnology as a field of application. When I applied for a job at Sartorius, I saw it as an opportunity to get to know this new field and, in particular, to work in the health care sector. We can all be confronted with cancer or autoimmune diseases for example at some point in our lives. To think that we work every day in a company that allows researchers and scientists to find ways to make life better for patients and treat this type of pathology gives a real meaning to my work.
What is the importance of a work environment that embraces equity and how are you helping to cultivate this in your area?
Pursuing a career in a rather male-dominated industrial field can be discouraging even before starting a career. Fortunately, this isn’t the case with Sartorius. The company, I believe, strongly values equality.
This is particularly true within the Product Development team, where we are vigilant about career development without making any distinction between men and women, regardless of their culture or origin, etc. At the same time, we make sure that women are properly represented in the management of the teams.
I think this is one of the strengths of Sartorius, one that isn’t common to all companies, and I can see this regularly in discussions with the people around me.
The company, I believe, strongly values equality.
Nelly Montenay, Head of Science & Testing
What were some of your biggest challenges in building your career and how did you overcome them?
I see two things: The first goes back to when I first started. I was working in an all-male environment with an older, more experienced male team and we had to implement changes together. My biggest challenge was to be credible in their eyes and win their confidence. To meet this challenge, I followed two approaches.
I remained humble on the one hand and relied on the team and its experience on the other. At the same time, I highlighted the changes to be made over time and showed them that I had the ability to do this. The second approach that I adopted: listening and being open-minded. It worked – I was able to gradually create a real team spirit.
The second challenge was to combine my career development at Sartorius with my role as a young mother. I never wanted to put my career on hold. On a professional level, I’ve succeeded by organizing myself and relying on the team. Privately, I’ve managed to find a certain balance by sharing the tasks with my husband fairly.
What changed the game in your career?
Building a professional network! Over time, I’ve built relationships with colleagues in France, Germany, India, and the USA. Thanks to this network, I’ve grown and continued to evolve. The way we interact with others and the relationships we build with them allow us to go further.
Nelly, some closing remarks, please. Looking at career starters today, what are your thoughts on equality?
I regularly speak at school open days to encourage young people to choose scientific careers. The thought of such careers can put young people off because the selection process to enter certain institutions or schools is drastic. Young people who go down this path are sometimes afraid that they won’t be able to back out if things don’t go well during their studies.
Unfortunately, some clichés about girls persist, for example, that they’re not as good in science and math as boys. I think today, we see many examples of women who have very successful scientific careers. My advice to the next generation is: Don’t pay attention to clichés.
My advice to both girls and boys is: Don’t pay attention to clichés.
Nelly Montenay, Head of Science & Testing
Personally, I’ve never felt that my career was hindered because I’m a woman and that’s a credit to our management. Nevertheless, I think it's a shame that we still celebrate Women's Day. It means there are still significant differences between men and women in the workplace, even though I’m convinced that things are changing for the better.
