Fabienne Derain

The daughter of a military pilot, Fabienne grew up near a military base in Haute-Saône. From a very young age, she wanted to become a pilot like her father. A strong student with a logical mind, she pursued scientific studies. But in her final year of high school, an unexpected obstacle arose: her eyesight deteriorated. Having to wear glasses permanently closed the door to a career as a pilot. Undeterred, she enrolled at EPF, an engineering school that at the time was exclusively for women, intending to work in the aerospace industry.

During her studies, aeronautics ultimately seemed too theoretical to her. She struggled to find her path until she found an internship by chance on the construction site of the Zénith de Toulon. It was a revelation. Fabienne loved the atmosphere, solving practical problems and watching a building rise from the ground. She then chose to specialize in structural mechanics. Still eager to discover new things, she flew to the United States to complete a dual degree in Atlanta.

Back in France, degree in hand, she began looking for her first job. During a phone call, a recruiter told her bluntly that her profile was excellent, but that the company refused to hire women on construction sites. Far from being discouraged, Fabienne moved on. She seized an opportunity to return to the United States to work for two years. When she returned to France for good, she sent out numerous unsolicited applications and landed a position at a technical inspection firm, a field she knew nothing about.

At Bureau Veritas, Fabienne stayed for twelve years and held four different positions. She moved from inspecting the structural integrity of buildings to managing asbestos risk, then took charge of a training department before overseeing international certification from London. Her secret? An inexhaustible thirst for learning. As soon as she masters a subject and the department is running smoothly, she feels the need to hand over the reins and take on a new challenge.

In 2006, Fabienne left salaried employment to join her husband’s consulting firm. There, she discovered what it meant to run a company and wear many hats: human resources, finance, and sales. After several business ventures, she founded Yzytek in 2015. Today, she leads this ten-person company on her own and has found her true mission: improving workers’ daily lives. By adapting workstations to reduce physical strain or accommodate people with disabilities, she gives her work a profound sense of purpose.