WOMEN IN ENGINEERING
Water, automation, and the power of a different voice
Sophie Borgne, Schneider Electric’s Water & Environment Segment President, is making the case that industry is shaping our future, and the teams that support this change need to look very different.
An unexpected calling Borgne’s journey with Schneider started via an unusual channel. It all began with a radio. While at university studying civil engineering, she agreed to do a radio interview. At the time, she was one of just six women in a cohort of over 100. After the interview was over, she thought nothing of it. However, five months later, she received a call. It just so happened that a senior executive at Schneider Electric was listening and wanted to meet Borgne.
After spending the day at Schneider and hearing how passionately that executive spoke about the company, she was invited to join Schneider. That was 25 years ago. Today, Borgne leads the company’s global Water & Environment business, driving the digital transformation. However, when you speak to most people about water, they wouldn’t normally associate it with automation.
and you will find very few people. The process runs in near-automatic mode, with operators supervising rather than operating. Automation governs how the plant responds to conditions, energy consumption, and carbon output. Moving water requires enormous amounts of Sophie Borgne, Water & Environment Segment President, Schneider Electric
Water’s hidden footprint
Walk through a modern water treatment plant,
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