Thank you for having accepted this interview, Amélie! Tell us about yourself, what is your background?
Initially, my interest in mathematical sciences and engineering led me to enroll in the Civil Engineering program at the INSA engineering school of Toulouse, which included an academic exchange semester at Polytechnique Montréal in Canada.
In 2005, I was introduced to Eurovia during an annual career fair organized by my school—that is how I began my internship at VINCI Construction, and how I joined afterward the Southwest Technical Direction of Eurovia at Mérignac.
Following my studies, I continued at Eurovia, as a technical engineer specialized in special processes, still under the Southwest Technical Direction, then joined in 2013 the Canadian subsidiary—back to Montreal!—as a project manager, equivalent to the site manager position. Thereafter, I joined the teams of the Americas Technical Center (ATC), to assume the position of Technical Director of the Americas–Oceania Division and VINCI Construction’s network of local companies in 2025!
The Americas Technical Center of VINCI Construction, based in Greater Montreal
Congratulations on this new position! What are now your missions and responsibilities within the Americas–Oceania Division?
Thanks! My mission is to provide technical support to the activities of VINCI Construction’s Americas-Oceania Division’s entities, across industries and projects, whether upstream, during execution, or for expert evaluations.
I am also responsible for the coordination of the division’s technical network and take part in the technical outreach of VINCI Construction, be it through establishing research partnerships with universities or other organizations, writing scientific articles, or representing the company at events of the sector of activities.
As part of my missions, I also manage the Americas Technical Center, based in Greater Montreal and made up of 9 executives and 9 laboratory technicians. We support the activities of the Construction Pole in the United States, Canada, Chile, Australia and New Zealand, and develop road materials in collaboration with the subsidiaries and business units, in relation with the Technical Direction and the France-based Mérignac Technical Center.
We are currently focusing on in-place pavement reprocessing, particularly for highways, illustrated by two flagship projects in recent years: the rehabilitation of the Regina Bypass in Saskatchewan, Canada, and the Bogotá-Girardot highway in Colombia. A research project is also underway in partnership with a Colombian university on this same subject.
Meanwhile, we are working on the development of other cold techniques (without heating materials), increasing the use of recycled materials, and incorporating bio-additives. Of course, we are also actively collaborating with EXEGY to accelerate the deployment of the brand and its solutions in our regions.
As for our services, they are divided into three major axes:
- A purely technical dimension based on developing innovative and high-performing solutions. We are currently focusing on bitumen, aggregates and asphalt mixes—the key components of pavement structures used for roads, highways, airport runways and other mobility infrastructures.
- Technical assistance for the entities and construction teams of the division—and occasionally to the other subsidiaries present in our regions, such as VINCI Construction Grands Projets. This support helps streamline and facilitate the implementation of technical solutions and monitor their performance. Our assistance focuses on the technical application on construction sites and the smooth execution of operations, and is also delivered through training sessions.
- We are also pursuing an environmental approach aligned with VINCI’s commitments, focused on reducing the CO2 emissions of our activities. This is based on the decarbonization of the materials we develop and deploy. Notable examples of this ambition include the development of solutions incorporating bio-additives, cold processes and recycling techniques.
Over the past year, we have welcomed a life cycle assessment (LCA) engineer specialized in environmental subjects to the team, and have been actively contributing to the deployment of EXEGY within the division. Another engineer will also join our team to work specifically on these subjects.
What does your collaboration with EXEGY involve in the creation of your concrete sector?
Currently, Olivia Tillier—Director of EXEGY—and I are preparing the acceleration of the development of EXEGY® solutions in all the division’s countries through the planning of a “market entry” for the solutions.
We are identifying and analyzing their use, the supply and demand of both conventional and low-carbon concrete, the concrete providers and potential regional partners, as well as the raw materials available in the region which can substitute clinker.
For the division and the center, the ambition to standardize EXEGY’s low-carbon concrete solutions within our sector is quite clearly a major objective for this year and 2026.
Finally, we are aiming to benefit from this support and the influence of EXEGY’s ecosystem of stakeholders to strengthen the acceleration of the brand’s development on American and Oceanian soil.
Are you encountering challenges and intricacies in the deployment of low-carbon solutions for construction materials?
Yes, mainly due to the context of the North American market, which is currently not very inclined to transition toward environmental solutions. The reason is quite simple: for its construction projects, the roadworks market selects the solutions used only according to their rentability, whereas other markets, such as Europe’s, also consider their carbon footprint. We are working toward an evolution of the standards in the region by promoting low-carbon construction solutions.
Speaking of the future, how do you visualize the Americas Technical Center and its ambitions in 5 years?
By 2030, our ambition is to advance the technical development of solutions, including low-carbon concretes. We also target a significant reduction in CO₂ emissions from our activities, primarily in asphalt and its components, which are at the core of the division’s business. Additionally, we are contributing to the development of EXEGY to reduce emissions in the concrete industry.
In a broader aspect, what are your perspectives for the future of the construction world? What motivates you in these?
For several years now, environmental solutions have been increasingly present in the construction sector. Their standardization has now become a focus point and a goal turning into reality, the importance placed by VINCI for its commitment in decarbonizing its activities being a testament to this transition.
This motivates my ATC colleagues and I a lot, as we see that our actions and efforts really take part in the making of a new chapter of construction, for society and a sustainable world!
Thank you for your inspiring interview, Amélie! You and your teams are actively building a sustainable future, in the key regions of the Americas and Oceania!
Thank you for this exchange and these retrospectives! We are looking forward to collaborating with EXEGY on many projects in our division!
