Hello, my name is Houda Dahmani, I am a project engineering manager at ALSTOM. I work on urban signaling projects in Istanbul, Turkey. I am originally from Tetouan, a city in northern Morocco.
ALSTOM is a large international railway company that provides a wide range of mobility solutions: trams, monorails, metros, high-speed lines, etc. In Turkey, its portfolio includes rolling stock, signaling, railway infrastructure, services, and integrated solutions.
Railways are considered complex systems because they involve different engineering disciplines. My mission as an engineering manager is to oversee various engineering teams and lead the technical aspects of each project. I represent the project both internally and externally to the client. With my team of engineers, we define the transport system solution, I validate and ensure technical consistency to meet the required quality, cost, and deadlines.
My first internship (in construction)
I have been working in the railway sector for over 6 years now and in different positions. I started in a Moroccan design office as a route engineer. I then joined ALSTOM as an interface engineer. My first mission was to manage the extension of the Constantine Tramway in Algeria. I was the coordinator between the different subsystems (power supply, signaling, rolling stock…) and the civil engineering partner.
A year later, I joined the ALSTOM AMECA hub, specifically in Istanbul, first as a track design engineer, then as a system engineer, and today as a project engineering manager.
Control Center – Istanbul (Covid… masks)
What I love about my job is that I contribute to improving people’s mobility. Each project will transport thousands of people every day, in a smarter, greener, safer, and more comfortable way!
What I also love is its diversity and complexity, the different disciplines and the interfaces between them. If you keep an open mind and a thirst for learning, you can be sure you’ll always learn new things!
Dubai Road, 2020
Why did I decide to work in engineering? I have always been fascinated by construction and large structures. I remember that in my childhood, one of my best “distractions” was watching construction sites from my window. Even though I was hyperactive, I could sit quietly for hours watching through the window, everything was interesting! Indeed, everything is built during childhood!
I was good at mathematics and really liked technical subjects, so I decided to pursue engineering, specifically civil engineering.
That’s how I joined the Hassania School of Public Works for 3 years (one of the best engineering schools in Morocco and the reference in civil engineering!).
During the summer of 2012, I visited Paris for the first time. At the time, there was a tramway in Rabat but I hadn’t used it yet! This visit to Paris was my first experience with the metro system, RER, and trams. I was fascinated. The design of the tunnels, the underground stations, the vehicles, the connections, the interfaces… everything was magical to me!
I didn’t have a tourist map but I had a metro map! And every time I got lost in the city (I didn’t have a phone or GPS at the time), I would look for the nearest metro station, return to Châtelet and start again.
It was this trip that made me choose civil engineering, with a specialization in “transport infrastructure”.
After my engineering school, I did an MBA (Master of Business Administration). The MBA was a great opportunity for me. Thanks to a collaboration between my school in Morocco and the École des Ponts de Paris, 1 student from each class could benefit from a scholarship for the MBA program alongside engineering studies. The MBA opened my eyes and mind to the different aspects of the business world. Before, I was more of a “technical geek”.
What I liked most about this MBA was that I was the youngest and the only person without experience. I learned not only from the professors but also from my classmates, with their different experiences (industry, finance, banking, insurance, consulting, marketing, engineering, law, …). My favorite subjects were: Finance, Marketing, Strategy, and Negotiation!
Throughout my studies and early jobs, I enjoyed every step, even if they were difficult! I’m not sure I would change anything.
About my hobbies, I love traveling, especially with just a backpack. Discovering places, people, cultures, and especially gastronomy (yum yum)! My best trips have been my solo trips. I truly believe that traveling alone leads to the best encounters. Another of my favorite pastimes is photography (as an amateur, I’m not a professional yet!).
Today, I am married and the mother of a little girl. It’s true that it was difficult to ensure work/life balance, especially when my baby was young, but having a supportive partner is a blessing. It’s also important to have a good manager, who understands the principles of diversity and inclusion, who is merit-focused and not biased!
To combine my professional life and personal interests, I try to organize my vacation days to travel as much as possible. And even with my little family now, we organize ourselves to continue our “discovery” missions around the world 😉
I think we are luckier than our predecessors because we can see more girls and women showcasing themselves and succeeding in different fields. And not just in railway engineering! If I succeeded and my friends also succeeded, you can too!
It’s true that even today, I’ve always worked in “teams” that are mostly male, with at most 1 or 2 female colleagues in the same team. But overall, at ALSTOM, we aim for a female diversity of 25%, we are very close to this figure and it would be great if we could go beyond, and balance the presence and concentration of women across different departments (engineering, services, HR, etc.).
My advice to empower girls in the field of science can be summed up in two things:
Childhood is the “most critical age, where most of our beliefs and passions are built. Unfortunately, in many societies, and not just in Eastern societies, girls’ education, careers, and aspirations are not taken as seriously as boys’. I am grateful to have had parents who never let me think that my success was less important than my brother’s. So here’s my message to moms: your daughter is as talented as your son, don’t lower your expectations of her, on the contrary, values, motivation, and expectations should not change based on gender.
Girls in Science – From Isfahan
If we want to support girls in the field of science, we must first, as women, have confidence in each other and support each other. One day, I was talking with an architect friend and I was shocked to hear that she was convinced that a male surgeon was always better than a female surgeon (based on her personal experience). If we don’t support each other, if we don’t empower ourselves and trust our skills and abilities, how can we expect the world to recognize it?
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The route engineer defines the passage corridor of a road or railway and ensures that the route of this road/railway meets geometric characteristics that will ensure safety and comfort while optimizing construction.
2. Civil engineers participate in the design, implementation, operation, and rehabilitation of infrastructure.
3. AMECA: Africa, Middle East, and Central Asia, ed.
4. Track designer: design, engineering, and construction of various track structures for all types of trains and terrains.
5. Châtelet: central Parisian metro stop
Article written by Mazzarine D.
Houda DAHMANI: Working in railways, managing teams and family life
