In Human Resources, "values" are paramount
The National Order of Merit was established in 1963 by General de Gaulle to reward citizens who have distinguished themselves through service to the Nation.
Second in prestige only to the Legion of Honour, the "Blue Ribbon," as the decoration is called, was recently awarded to Fran莽oise Cazenave-Pendari猫s, the Head of the Human Resources Division at ITER.
The decoration鈥攁warded upon recommendation from the French Minister of Higher Education and Research鈥攔ecognizes Fran莽oise's "exemplary career in public research institutions" and her "dedication to public service" through the various positions she has held in the field of human resources.
Fran莽oise began her career in the mid-1980s, at a time when the expression "human resources" did not exist. "The term in use at the time was 'personnel,' which is slightly derogatory in French, and that bothered me," says Fran莽oise. "I'm glad we're not using it any more."
In human resources, Fran莽oise believes human "values" are paramount. "I've always felt a passion for 'the Other'... I've always tried to understand people's behaviour and convictions," she says. "I'm convinced that there will always be something to do to make a better place for man in his economic environment." And for women too: Fran莽oise has been involved for many years in promoting gender parity鈥攁n issue that, she says, "ITER will have to address at some point."
The daughter of a CEA engineer, Fran莽oise spent most of her youth in French Polynesia. At age 20, she joined CEA and worked for two years in Contracts and Procurement while pursuing a Master's Degree in human sciences and occupational psychology. Once obtained, the degree opened the door to a position in the CEA's "personnel" department鈥攁 trade and a "home" that were to be hers for the following years.
Still "in its infancy," the ITER Project offers Fran莽oise a different challenge from the positions that she held as Head of Human Resources at the CEA/DAM 脦le de France Research Center and at the National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control (INRIA) between 2002 and 2007.
"In my previous jobs, the structures had been established for a long time. The challenge was to fit initiatives into them鈥攍ike promoting gender parity in science, implementing the European Charter for researcher, establishing a policy for handicapped personnel or creating a Human Resources Department from scratch at INRIA. Here at ITER, there's room, and need, for invention and innovative tools "that take into account the best practices to serve an international project."