Liziane’s Career as an Edison Expert in South America

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I’m Natália Libreti, HR Champion of the Edison Program for Supply Chain in South America, and I interviewed Liziane Freitas, who has been a part of this development program since 2019. The Edison Program aims to recognize and leverage the technical expertise of the company’s employees. Due to Liziane’s global contribution in strengthening the Edison community, in late 2020 she was recognized as the first Senior Expert of the Edison Program in South America!

Here at Schneider Electric, we aim to include and empower our employees. We believe in equal opportunities for everyone, everywhere, so that each one of us who is part of the company, feels that we are valued in a unique way.

Discover Liziane’s career at Schneider Electric, as well as her motivations and main challenges when choosing a technical career:

Natália Libreti: What interests you most in your current role?

Liziane Freitas: I really appreciate the opportunity to interact with people from different areas and different Line of Business’s (LOBs) levels, to get to know more about our business, and have a closer interaction with our customers.

NL: What is the main challenge for you today?

LF: Strengthening our safety culture and being able to influence our entire ecosystem, at all levels.

NL: What does the career plan as an Edison Expert mean to you?

LF: Learning has always been a passion of mine. Throughout my professional career, I also learned that the more we share our knowledge, the more we learn. The Edison Program means an opportunity to be constantly renewed while promoting the growth of other professionals and contributing to better results for our company through specific projects that we can lead as Edison Expert.

NL: Can you comment on an interesting project in the SERE (Health & Safety) domain that you are currently developing?

LF: Currently one of the most interesting projects in the SERE (Health & Safety) area is the Human Factors. We know that the main cause of accidents is related to experienced professionals: any one of us can make mistakes no matter how well trained and experienced we are. However, in the work environment, the consequences of these errors can be severe. That is why understanding what human factors are, how they influence our performance and consequently, our safety performance is extremely important at all levels and activities for the prevention of accidents.

NL: How does it feel to be the first person in South America to become a Level 2 Edison Expert?

LF: I’m honored to be able to represent the region and encourage other professionals to foster Edison’s career.

NL: How can Schneider Electric develop and support the career progression of women who have chosen the technical path?

LF: I believe that Schneider already has several tools to assist women who wish to pursue a technical career. The new Open Talent Market (OTM) tool, for example, provides an enormous view of all the opportunities to participate in different projects in different areas, as well as having the visibility of internal positions in other divisions. The mentoring process, the discipline of holding individual meetings with managers, and discussing the career plan for sure are other ways to support women in their own career growth.

NL: What message do you leave for other women who also aspire to a career progression in the technical area within Schneider Electric?

LF: I see that Schneider is a company that really respects and values diversity, promoting an environment where we feel comfortable discussing openly our career ambitions. However, “the owners” of our careers are ourselves, and the worst barrier we can find is our own preconceptions and limits that we place ourselves on. Believing in our potential starts with us first, taking the initiative, and having a clear goal in mind are the three main points that I believe in and that drive me to continue evolving as a person and as a professional.

Searching for opportunities and positions is the first step in your career at Schneider Electric. To find an opportunity, check out our careers here at www.se.com/careers.

Connect with Liziane and Natalia on LinkedIn to stay up to date with their careers and Schneider Electric!