Ingenious Women: Lyne Ricard

"When I was young, I was really curious, and I wanted to understand everything. The first time I learned about natural resources was when I was watching Snow White. I thought it was fascinating that we could get diamonds out of the earth, and I wanted to learn more. That’s how I found out about engineering.

I went to Polytechnique Montréal because I was passionate about the subject matter, but also to prove that there was room for women in this field. I was already aware of the impact this industry has on the environment, so I chose chemical engineering. I had a clear vision: I wanted to get involved with industries that produced the most greenhouse gases to help make them greener.

I’ve worked for 20 years improving plant processes and operations, where I gained in-depth knowledge of the field through complex assignments. Then, I became involved in designing mega-projects abroad. This was a defining experience in my career. While I worked in war zones and on sensitive projects, my multicultural team had a tremendous impact on me, both professionally and personally.

In 2013, I joined BBA to develop the then-called Biofuels, Oil and Gas department. I met with members of the firm because we shared the same aspirations for the future. As the climate crisis worsened, I wanted to get involved with an organization that was actively working to find solutions to decarbonize and support industrial players in this necessary transition.

When I arrived, I set up a motivated and dynamic team that thrives on its cultural, gender and age diversity. Together, we’ve organized our work methods to make it easier to pass on our knowledge. It's not just a way of developing our expertise; for me, it's a social responsibility to operate like this: we're facing a huge number of global challenges, and I don't see how we can meet them without working together.

It seems obvious to me that to build the future, we first need to listen to the concerns, aspirations and ideas of the next generation. When I chose to become an engineer, it was to change the world. Young people still want to do this, maybe even more so. Today, my role is to help them succeed."