Pierre Dussaud

Qualification/Career path :
I am a graduate from France’s Arts et Métiers Engineering School. After obtaining my degree, I travelled to the United States to improve my English. In 1990 I joined Technip, an engineering company. After my first real job experience at the headquarters in Paris, I left for Oslo, followed by Rome, working as a design engineer. I returned to Paris in 1993, working as a project engineer where I spent two years working on large-scale export projects. Early 1995 I left for Sao Paulo, Brazil, where I took up the role of project manager staying three years before leaving for Malaysia in 1998 ; where over the next four years
I managed numerous large scale projects.
I joined the Cegelec Group as project manager in 2002. During my previous employment,
I had had frequent contact with Cegelec’s representative in Malaysia who became a personal friend.

Why I chose Cegelec :
At Cegelec I was provided the opportunity to enhance my engineering knowledge and large scale project management expertise, whilst increasing my awareness of the construction and installation activity by directly managing teams on site. I joined Cegelec on September 25th 2002 ; On 28th I was flying to Abu Dhabi !

My duties as an International Project Manager :
I am responsible for the implementation of an international large-scale project and I ensure that the objectives set - cost, scheduling and quality- will be met for both the customer and the Group. Every month, I report to the Management on the project progress. On site in Abu Dhabi, I manage a team of approximately 200 staff with a multi-disciplinary skills base covering engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning. My main duties consist of managing and co-ordinating the different departments, as well as recruiting, with the team consisting mostly of local staff ( Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos) with only seven expatriates. At the same time, I liaise with Cegelec units involved in project implementation whether in Abu Dhabi or in France.

My greatest professional satisfaction with the project :
As I arrived in Abu Dhabi to take on the project, we were confronted with a workforce shortage : at that time, Cegelec had only a very small team there with inadequate resources to meet the needs of the project. With the support of the Abu Dhabi branch office along with some expatriates, we recruited staff on a worldwide basis to build a team capable of successfully carrying out the project and satisfying our customer.
Today my greatest satisfaction is having successfully completed such a complex project, conveying a sense of pride for all those who were involved, along with the satisfaction of our customer which now recognises Cegelec as one of the leading companies in its sector.

Why I chose international business :
I have always enjoyed travelling and discovering different people and cultures. I have only spent three years in Paris out of my fourteen years experience.

Personal qualities needed :
Perseverance, spirit, and fortitude… are needed, of course ! But the essential qualities of the International Project Manager –in addition to mobility – are the openness to others and the ability to adapt to different cultures. We tend to disregard local resources and staff, whereas we should be aware of their importance and enhance them. In addition to a willingness to delegate tasks and ability to motivate his/her teams, the International Project Manager must be capable of identifying additional competencies – “the plus points”- and bringing skills together so as to develop synergies .
Last but not least : the International Project manager should demonstrate specific negotiation skills.

What I like most in my job :
An international position allows much travelling and provides a great deal of autonomy in the job. The other side of the coin is that you are responsible for everything in the project. However you have to know what you want !

The next step in my career development :
Managing an international profit centre.

My advice for a Cegelec new recruit ?
International projects are increasingly mobilising local staff with a higher skill level. Candidates for expatriation should demonstrate expert skill levels and a great openness to other cultures. If I had to give some advice to a young recruit who is attracted by an international career, I would say that he/she must be capable of integrating in multicultural teams in which human relations can be quite different from those existing in Europe.
This may sometimes be difficult but at the same time very gratifying.