Belinda Castelli: Business Unit Buyer
The 37-year-old Belinda works as a Business Unit Buyer at VINCI Facilities. She negotiates with suppliers and builds trust with them. This is how she obtains the best services. She is also the first point of contact for purchasing questions concerning SAP, both internally within her perimeter and for other VINCI Energies employees.
“Working in a man’s world has pushed me
to assert my personality and become more confident.”
- Name: Belinda Castelli
- Age: 37
- Studies: Bachelor’s degree in Management Assistant, with a specialization in languages (Haute École Provinciale de Hainaut)
- Function: Business Unit Buyer
- Hobbies: Aerobics, running and traveling
Why did you choose a new job at VINCI Energies?
Belinda: I first worked for Cegelec as a Financial Assistant, then as a Purchasing Coordinator and SAP Purchasing Expert. After 11 years, I needed a career change. But given the varied skills I acquired at Cegelec, I really wanted to continue working for VINCI Energies. What attracts me to this group is that its structure offers many opportunities to its employees and that the organization excels in the fields of digitalization and innovation. The maturity of the purchasing department has always appealed to me too. The many companies in the group also give you the opportunity to speak a variety of languages. As such, I was able to attend conversation tables to improve my Dutch. Today, I work as a Business Unit Buyer at VINCI Facilities, and once again find great satisfaction in my work. Every day brings at least one new challenge, which suits me perfectly because I love finding solutions. I am also grateful to VINCI Energies for the progress I have made so far. Several colleagues have helped me to expand my knowledge. My dream is to become a Buyer almost as talented as the people who trained me and who still contribute to my development today.
Do you feel that VINCI Energies is taking an active role in promoting diversity and attracting women?
Belinda: Yes, I am particularly enthusiastic about this campaign. I think that women, in a world essentially run by men, deserve more recognition than they currently get. The fact that VINCI Energies is highlighting women performing traditionally male jobs could encourage young people to apply for similar positions. This is why I participated in this campaign: to show everyone that as a woman, you can also succeed in a profession often considered ‘masculine’. My advice to women who have not yet dared to follow this path is to tell them that they will find many advantages. Working in a man’s world pushed me to assert my personality and gain confidence, which contributed to my personal and professional development. In high school, I was mainly surrounded by women, so it was a big change when I joined VINCI Energies and worked with men for the most part. I was very young, so I had to adapt, but rather than being intimidated, I saw it as a challenge and it helped me to grow in a positive way.
Have you ever faced prejudice because of the fact that you are a woman?
Belinda: It sometimes happens that a supplier initially seems to have a few prejudices, but I try to start the meeting directly by talking about the purchasing structure of VINCI Energies and our needs, and little by little I notice that the respect and recognition of my work are improving. A lot of prejudices are less prevalent than they used to be, even if the mindset of many still has not completely changed. But we have to persevere and consider every obstacle as an experience if we want to turn the tide. Ideally, we should be moving towards a world where a woman working in the technical sector is respected as much as a man, and does not have to prove herself more than a man because she is a woman.
