A chemical engineer by trade, Felisa Suárez explains how she made it to team leader when she joined the Pre-commissioning area at the Dos Bocas project in Mexico.

Young, bold and intelligent, and driven by a great desire to improve herself—that’s Felisa Suárez in a nutshell. She’s a chemical engineer who is today heading up a team working in the Pre-commissioning area at the Dos Bocas project, in Paraíso, Tabasco. She joined Techint Engineering & Construction in the search for opportunities to expand her skills—and found a whole amusement park of knowledge to be learned on the job.

Ever since she was a little girl, Felisa has always been clear about what she wanted to do when she grew up. Chemistry, math and physics were her favorite subjects at school. Brought up in a family whose members are mostly dedicated to engineering, she could clearly envisage her future in that field. A native of Oaxaca, a location loaded with cultural traditions, Felisa nonetheless had the full support of her parents, cementing her desire to pursue a career in chemical engineering.

But, like any young person eager to take their knowledge to other levels, Felisa saw in Techint E&C an opportunity to develop her professional career path, and she joined the Dos Bocas project through the Young Professionals Program.

For the last nearly two years, she has left her mark on the teamwork underway to build the plants making up the Refinery project, first in the Processes area and later in Project Controls. Now, armed with considerably more experience and capabilities, she’s managing a team working in the Pre-commissioning area.

“I feel that I have made a positive contribution by teaching the new members of my team, as well as providing guidance in the field of work, supervising suppliers, and overseeing the chemical cleaning of the plant. I feel really satisfied with what I’ve achieved,” shares Felisa. “I’ve found many opportunities to grow since I arrived, and just as importantly, there’s a space where my opinions regarding how to improve the plant's activities are valued, and my points of view taken into account,” she says.

Leadership opportunities

The young leader points out that Techint E&C is an inclusive company through and through. “You can see several work teams led and made up of women, both in the operational areas and in leadership positions,” she states. This has given her the courage to continue advancing professionally in the company. “At Techint, we can see a lot of women in strategic and managerial positions. I also see how the operational teams, mostly made up of girls, come to meetings. I feel that we are making big changes, and I’m delighted to see how we can contribute more with our knowledge,” she expresses.

The Olmeca Refinery project is the most emblematic work in Mexico of the last 40 years, a feat reflected not only in the work’s progress, but also in the positive effects it’s having on the community where it’s taking place. “It’s so satisfying to see all the changes there have been since the beginning of the work, not only in the construction itself, but also in the local community. It’s grown so much, and people’s quality of life in the area has improved. Now, you look around and you can’t believe how far it's come, so I can only imagine the impact it will have when it's been up and running for a couple of years!”

Felisa confesses that she’s a different person after working at the Dos Bocas Refinery. “This project, and the work I’ve been doing here have changed me, now I feel far more confident. Before, I only used to focus on doing my work behind the computer screen, and I had no interaction at all with other areas. However, the fact that they’ve given me the opportunity to share my knowledge with my team, with other managers and with the customer, has allowed me to share my position and opinions about the best ways of improving the project.”

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