Protecting Lives, Productivity, and Business Reputation: 5 Minutes with Managing Director of Sentric Safety Group

In the realm of industrial safety, few leaders possess the extensive experience and global perspective of Aurélie Paul. With a career spanning 25 years, Aurélie has navigated various industries, from elevators to electronic safety, always focusing on the human element of technology.

Today, she heads up Sentric Safety Group, a consortium of leading safety  technology brands under Halma PLC, with a mission to protect lives, productivity, and business reputation worldwide.

I sat down with Aurélie to discuss her career and covered a variety of topics:

• Her career journey
• What attracted her to the role at Sentric
• 2 pivotal moments in her career
• The qualities of an effective leader
• How to stay ahead of the curve with innovation
• What she looks for in an excellent company culture
• How to stay grounded with mission-driven leadership
• Her advice for aspiring leaders.

Career Journey

Reflecting on her career, Aurélie shares, “I started as a salesperson and gradually grew into managerial roles in both sales and marketing before embracing the role of Managing Director.” Her journey began in the lift industry with Otis, then transitioned to the safety sector with CHUBB and Aritech, focusing on fire security and electronic safety, and now with Sentric. “In all these companies, putting humans at the heart of everything we do has always been the ultimate goal.  Whether it’s safely moving people from the ground floor to the top floor, protecting individuals from fire or theft or safeguarding lives in dangerous environments with Sentric Safety Group. The focus has always been on people,” she emphasises.

Aurélie’s career has allowed her to experience all aspects of the value chain, from manufacturing to servicing and monitoring centres. “About 10 years ago, I decided that I love the international environment and have since been navigating the world,” she says. She believes in a balanced approach between global and local strategies, adapting to different ways of achieving goals depending on the country.

Pivotal Moments and Advice

Aurélie recalls two pivotal moments in her career. The first was when she returned to UTC after working at Siemens and took on an executive role. “I had the chance to meet three fantastic women who guided and mentored me to develop self-awareness as a leader.  This helped me to be more accepting of my internal thoughts, to lower the volume of negativity, manage the impostor syndrome and use these feelings for awareness rather than fighting them,” she says. This experience helped her embrace her strengths and compensate for her weaknesses.  This greater self-acceptance has been pivotal to developing Aurelie into the leader she is today.

The second pivotal moment was accepting her first Managing Director role in Belgium. “Moving from Paris, as a single mum with two kids, was a professional and personal risk,” she admits. However, with the support of sponsors and her personal board of directors, she managed to balance personal and professional challenges.  The role was incredibly fulfilling and paved the way for her career as a Managing Director.

Joining Sentric

Aurélie was drawn to Sentric Safety Group by Halma’s mission of “Growing a safer, cleaner, and healthier future for everyone every day” and the high levels of collaboration and autonomy given to its leaders. She was particularly attracted to Sentric Safety Group for its century-long legacy of safety solutions and its commitment to protecting people, productivity, and business reputation in harsh environments. Sentric’s expertise in trapped key interlocking safety solutions for Energy & Industry, along with tailored solutions in logistics and rail, aligns perfectly with her values and goals.

This alignment with her professional values was crucial as much as autonomy. “In large corporations, even as a Managing Director or General Manager, my role was often split between leading my team and influencing the broader organisation,” she explains. At Sentric, she found the autonomy to have a direct impact and make big decisions, which she finds both empowering and rewarding. “Being able to shape the direction of the company with a close-knit leadership team and seeing the immediate effects of our decisions on our customers and employees has been a remarkable journey,” she adds.

Excitement and Innovation

Aurélie is excited about the collaborative potential within Sentric Safety Group and the broader Halma group. “By joining forces, the multiple companies Castell, Kirk, STI, Salvo, Sentric China, Sentric Tunisia and Zonegreen, within Sentric can offer a broader range of products, solutions, and services to our customers,” she says. “We are driven by purpose and work with colleagues who are passionate about what they do. Knowing that our technologies help protect people and solve real-world problems inspires us to do our best work every day”. She believes that staying ahead in a competitive market requires humility, continuous innovation, and a balance between visionary thinking and practical solutions.

As an example, One of Sentric Safety Group important market is the rail safety industry. “We have a long history in rail safety. Our French entity STI has been providing safe systems of work by controlling access and machinery operation through interlocking technology for over 100 years. These safety systems can also be seen on trackside around the world, where STI ensures that maintenance and access are only permitted on tracks that are both electrically disconnected and inaccessible by trains. With the acquisition of Zonegreen last year, we have technology that stops unwanted movement of trains in depots while keeping maintenance workers safe. This extends our current rail safety solutions offerings that help to protect employees working in hazardous environments.”

Qualities of an Effective Leader

Aurélie identifies empathy, adaptability, and vision as the top three qualities of an effective leader. “Empathy fosters a supportive and collaborative environment,” she notes. Adaptability allows leaders to navigate challenges and seize opportunities, while vision helps guide the team towards common goals. “I articulate a compelling vision for the future, set achievable milestones, and work hard to inspire my team to deliver on it,” she explains.

Company Culture

Aurélie emphasises the importance of company culture in achieving business success. “Culture is everything when it comes to achieving business success,” she asserts. At Sentric Safety group, the core values revolve around fostering open communication, promoting collaboration, and ensuring a safe environment. We are inspired to take purposeful actions and initiatives in what we do. Diversity and inclusion, recognition and continuous learning are also key for us to cultivate a positive and engaging work environment.

Mission-Driven Leadership

At Sentric Safety Group, we keep workers safe by producing uncompromising safety solutions for businesses whose people and equipment operate in safety-critical environments. Sentric’s mission to protect lives is deeply personal to Aurélie. “Making it personal helps me stay grounded and ensures that I don’t become a detached, financial-only leader,” she says. This mission inspires her to strive for excellence and make a real difference in the world.

Advice for Aspiring Leaders

Aurélie advises aspiring leaders to love their job and surround themselves with a great team. “Dream big, but integrate practicality into those dreams,” she suggests. She also believes in celebrating both successes and failures, learning from every action.  Having fun is core to me!”

For more information about our Manufacturing & Engineering Practice and the work we do, please contact Colin Roope.