The Brazilian magazine O Empreiteiro interviewed Luciana Fabri, a Techint E&C employee who shared her experience working on one of the most important projects in Brazil in recent years and also drew attention to the need for a greater female presence in the sector.

Luciana Fabri currently works at Techint E&C’s headquarters in Sao Paulo, but not so long ago she was deployed at one of the largest projects in Brazil, where she spent two years: the construction of the P-76 platform.

In an interview with the magazine O Empreiteiro, a benchmark in the engineering sector, Luciana talks about her experience and shares her desire to contribute to ensuring that more and more women can come to work on site.

Below are some excerpts from the article:

“The P-76 platform is a milestone for the country in terms of its outlook for growth and development, and it’s already in operation in the offshore Pre-salt fields of Campo de Buzios 3, producing 150 thousand barrels of oil/day and 7 million cubic meters of natural gas/day.

Initially, I was involved in the stages carried out on land, when the platform was being built and assembled at Techint's Offshore Unit in Pontal do Parana. In 2016, I began to coordinate the entire final phase, which took place on the high seas. Let me tell you that when I saw the platform from the construction site in 2018—when we did the Sail Away—it was such an extraordinary feeling of fulfillment! Being able to participate directly in the final stages of the contract, such as Final Completion and Final Acceptance, boosted my sense of satisfaction with the overall result.

I would say that one of the advantages of the construction world is how it offers you the chance to expand your knowledge within the industry. It’s the possibility of gaining an understanding of the different internal areas making up a company, such as engineering, planning, contract administration, costs, production, quality, commissioning, operation, technical assistance and the final product guarantee when it’s delivered to the customer.

In addition, you have to learn to understand the importance of working with people from different cultures and appreciate the need to incorporate diversity in the many areas of a project where something is being built.

I spent most of my time involved in contractual management for projects, which has allowed me to develop negotiation skills and define a successful approach to internal and external customers as part of my daily routine, helping to foster fair agreements for the parties involved.

Now, what is personal life like in the face of the necessary changes involved in construction life? The first time I left my base in Curitiba to work at Pontal do Paraná, I was so nervous my stomach hurt! I thought: Will this work? Will I be able to handle it? What about my family? And what about my friends? And life at the weekends? There are always so many doubts that arise when we leave our comfort zone and sail off into the unknown, but over time, it becomes clear that we can always achieve something if we make the effort. I usually set personal goals when I get new projects and thus reduces the natural anxiety involved in the change.

Certainly, there are barriers to contend with, unforeseen events that make you rethink whether you're on the right track, whether it’s really worth the effort required. I understand that this is part of our personal and professional process of evolution.

My expectation is to be able to contribute even more to the development of the country, building and monitoring the participation of women in construction with the requisite level of respect as for any other work monitoring process.”

Link to the original article in Portuguese.