At Soitec, innovation comes to life through the women and men who shape it every day. Florence plays a key role in the dynamics of next-generation FD-SOI products incubator, her mission is to drive their development and adoption—a strategic priority for Soitec.

In her interview, she reflects on her journey, sharing her experience in driving innovative projects, overcoming complex technical challenges, and the motivations that led her to join the semiconductor industry.

1 - CAN YOU EXPLAIN YOUR ROLE AS AN INCUBATOR PROJECT MANAGER FOR NEXTGEN FD-SOI PRODUCTS AT SOITEC?

My role is to enable the widespread adoption of the next gen FDSOI technology which is strategic for Soitec. I lead this new strategic program, accelerating its development from A to Z with the cross-functional support of a multidisciplinary project team. The incubator role is akin to launching a startup within the company. It involves navigating not only technical challenges but also business, financial, and timing complexities. I report directly to the Senior EVP Innovation CTO and functionally to the SVP Strategy & Investors Relations.

My mission is to drive the development of this new technology, define the product roadmap and accelerate the execution until the industrialization phase.

2 - WHAT INSPIRES YOU THE MOST IN YOUR ROLE AS AN INCUBATOR FOR NEXTGEN FD-SOI PRODUCTS?

What I find most inspiring is having a comprehensive view of the project, which gives great meaning to my work. I truly enjoy the multidisciplinary nature of the role—it allows me to collaborate with diverse teams and learn from different areas within the company.

The subject itself is also highly engaging. It’s fascinating to analyze market trends decades into the future and strategically plan for the timely adoption of NextGen FD-SOI.

3 - WHAT ARE THE MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES THAT DEFINE YOUR DAY-TO-DAY MISSION?

My responsibilities are broad and I need to address them in parallel. First, I focus on understanding customer needs and proposing a new range of products that demonstrate clear value, in collaboration with the Business Units (BUs). I also coordinate with our "champion customer" to refine our approach.

Defining technological priorities, managing cost-effective design options, and building the product line roadmap are essential aspects of my work. This includes coordinating the product lifecycle and aligning it with market size and pricing strategies.

The second phase involves accelerating the execution of the product roadmap. I lead contributors, anticipate manufacturing challenges, and structure the supply chain implementation before transferring the technology to the division.

Additionally, I ensure the program remains financially balanced by defining sustainable financial models in collaboration with the Finance department. Throughout, I provide regular updates to the CTO, the Strategic Office SVP, and ExCom members, while maintaining close collaboration across various departments such as industrial operations, global supply, and innovation.

4 - COULD YOU SHARE WITH US A HIGHLIGHT OR SUCCESS STORY FROM THIS PROJECT?

Although the project began only a few months ago, we have already achieved a number of important milestones. These include the creation of a European ecosystem around this new technology, as well as market and cost studies to validate the profitability of the targeted product. There are still many steps to be taken, but it's all very motivating.

5 - WHAT LED YOU TO PURSUE A CAREER IN THE SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY, ESPECIALLY IN INNOVATION?

My passion lies in functional materials. For over 20 years, I’ve worked in this field across different industries and applications, first as a researcher and later as a lab manager. I’ve always been fascinated by how materials influence device properties.

In the semiconductor industry, the in-depth understanding of material properties—especially silicon—offers endless opportunities for discovery. It’s truly a pleasure to work in such a dynamic environment.

My preferred field is the functional material domain. I worked 20 years in this field in different industries and applications as researcher and lab manager, and was always fascinated in how material could influence the device properties. In the semiconductor industry, there is a lot of knowledge in the material properties especially in silicon and it’s a daily pleasure to deal with it.

6 - WAS THERE A PARTICULAR MOMENT OR PROJECT THAT SOLIDIFIED YOUR PASSION FOR TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION?

Yes, one project in particular stands out. It involved manufacturing magnets for energy applications, such as electric vehicles and wind turbines. I led the creation of a new laboratory, established a pilot line, and planned for a factory-scale operation.

This experience taught me invaluable lessons about industrial processes, supply chain management, and financial constraints. It gave me a deep understanding of how to scale a product rapidly from innovation to high-volume production—a skillset that continues to drive my passion for innovation.

Yes, a particular project related to the manufacturing of magnets for energy (for EV or Wind turbine..), I was driving a major project of setting up a new laboratory and raising a pilot line for sampling while we planned ahead a factory of magnets. This experience allowed me to understand industrial, supply chain and financial constraints of such a program where we targeted to grow a product at a very fast pace from innovation phase to a high volume production target.