Émilie WIECZOREK: 'When technical ambition becomes a human adventure'!

With passion and an attentive ear, she steered a major project combining innovation, natural heritage management, and social integration. In this interview, she shares her experience, her vision of management, and how she forged lasting connections on the ground. She answers questions from La Gazette du Var.

What was the nature of your mission? Émilie WIECZOREK. I arrived at the time of the public utility declaration file.

Then, I followed everything: studies, contract setup, and then the construction site. I managed the environmental aspects — acoustic barriers, retention basins, revegetation — but also a more unexpected area: social integration. My role was to ensure that every component of the project was sustainably integrated into the territory, both technically and humanly.

One can imagine the constraints, tensions, and unexpected events? ÉW. Surprisingly, these unexpected events were a driving force.

We are sometimes in intense periods where everything has to be recalibrated and reorganized. But I love those moments when you have to think fast, as a team, to find solutions. There is a stimulating dynamic in collective problem-solving.

I have always preferred slightly winding paths to a straight line without surprises.

Was there a specific moment that stood out to you? ÉW. The transplanting of the palm trees and olive trees...

They almost stole the spotlight from the concrete. From the very first meetings, we understood that these trees were part of the emotional landscape of the people of Toulon. We couldn't just cut them down, so we chose to preserve them.

It was a way of respecting the territory's identity, of saying to the people of Toulon: yes, we are transforming, but we are not erasing.

We uprooted nearly 200 trees, some of them huge, over 13 meters high. They were housed and maintained for several years in a plant nursery, before returning to beautify the interchanges once the works progressed. This was unprecedented for us, but we held firm because it made sense.

This kind of gesture tells a different story than quantity surveys, schedules, and carbon footprints. It speaks of attentiveness, a desire to do well for the place and for those who live there. And then, it was very concrete to tell my children: 'Look, those ones, Mummy moved them.'

Indeed, how did you experience this on a personal level? ÉW. This project marked a foundational period.

I had my second child here, and I also rebuilt a circle of friends, having arrived from Montpellier. At home, this project was part of our daily life. My son marvelled at the machinery, the replanted palm trees, and the green roundabouts.

My partner was a constant support. These years bonded us, in mutual respect for our commitments.

And on a professional level, what did you discover about yourself? ÉW. I made huge progress in human management.

I learned to adapt my language depending on the interlocutors: a resident, an elected official, a worker, an engineer... You have to know how to listen, simplify, and defuse. I think my environmental background gave me a particular sensitivity to the impact of our actions.

But this adventure also forged my posture: rigour, adaptability, and always, the desire to work collectively.

We built much more than a structure. We built a team. A team that is gradually dispersing?

ÉW. Yes. The operations management is drawing to a close.

Some have already moved on to other projects. But we keep this unique bond. They weren't just colleagues: we went through something together.

We managed intense situations, moments of doubt, shared successes. What will remain of all this is an immense pride... and many friendships.

A final word? ÉW. This project is a beautiful chapter. Not just because it was technically accomplished, but because it was a human success. If I had to take away one thing: you can combine excellence with care for others. And when that is the case, the results are not only visible in the landscape. They are also visible in people's eyes.