Sabrine Skiker first started working in hydrogen in 2013. She knew straight away hydrogen would develop itself to become a key player in a zero-emission society and she wanted to be a part of the story. Today she works for Hydrogen Europe, leading the mobility sector of its advocacy department, with a focus on land transport topics.
For Skiker, there is still a lot to be done to reach gender equality. This International Women’s Day, she wants to encourage women to remain strong and work together with men to bridge the gap. H2 View caught up with her to find out more as part of our exclusive Women in Hydrogen series.
Thanks for giving H2 View your time Sabrine. You’re currently EU Policy Manager – Land Transport at Hydrogen Europe, why don’t you tell us a little about that?
I joined Hydrogen Europe in 2017 and I lead the mobility section of our advocacy department, with a focus on land transport topics. This includes the coordination of our mobility and trucks dedicated working groups as well as other several sub-groups. Our members are key players of the sector like original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), hydrogen suppliers, fuel cell suppliers, hydrogen refuelling stations providers, among others. My objective is to achieve the best EU policies possible for the hydrogen mobility sector, via targeted advocacy, reaching compromised positions, building coalitions and partnerships and public speaking.
What first sparked your interest in hydrogen and working in this industry?
When I first started to work on hydrogen, back in 2013, it was far from being mainstream. The feedback from my friends and family at the time was “hydro what”? For me it was all about sustainability and innovation and it corresponded to my values of working towards a zero-emission society. It seemed to me that hydrogen, given the advantages it has, would develop itself to become a key player and I wanted to be part of the story.
Since then, a lot has changed! There have been so many developments: the COP21 with the Paris Agreement, an increased sense of climate urgency, the EU Green Deal and the objective of climate neutrality by 2050. All this only confirmed my initial intuition about the role of hydrogen and my willingness to grow in this sector.
If you had to start your career from scratch, knowing what you do know now, what would you do differently?
I am not sure if I would change anything. I worked in different sectors and positions before joining Hydrogen Europe and I believe that all of these experiences have helped me grow. Unlike what I thought when I started my career, these changes helped me to develop and allowed me to become the professional that I am today.
Tell us about one challenge you’ve faced as a female in your sector? How did you overcome it?
It is hard to name only one. What happens in my working life in the hydrogen transport sector (which is very male dominated) is, for example, being invited to speak for the wrong reason just to avoid having a “manel”, or being asked only very basic questions unlike the male speaker next to me, or being interrupted by a man when speaking so that he could repeat the exact same thing.
How to fix this? What helped me first was to realise that it was not just with me but plenty of other women face this: just look at the concepts of “mansplaining” or “manterrupting”. A recent example of this is Kamala Harris who had to repeat “I am speaking” while being interrupted during presidential debates. In addition, what helps as well is a lot of determination to grow professionally, the recognition that I get from my peers in my sector and doing all of this with a sense of humour.
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #ChooseToChallenge. What does this and the day itself mean to you?
Dare, dare and dare. I am afraid women still do not dare to share their views as much as men, and for me the first challenge is definitely to dare, and to say that there is nothing to lose.
International Women’s Day for me is the day of women’s rights, and everyone would agree that there is still much to be done, proof is, we need a special day for 50% of the global population…
Are there any key issues facing women today in the sector you work in?
As I guess is the case in a lot of other sectors, it is complex to reconcile private and professional life, particularly in a male-dominated sector.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Trust yourself, this is the best way to convince others to trust you in return!
And what’s the one piece of advice you’d give to young women starting out their careers?
Speak out! Stop apologising for being there. What you have to say is as valid as anyone else!
Tell us about one woman who has positively impacted you in your career? What lesson did she teach you?
This one is hard to answer as several people inspired me. When I was a trainee at the European Commission, my supervisor was a powerful and very smart woman. She demonstrated her confidence by trusting me to deliver complex tasks, and what better gift than that when you are starting your career? She also was a role-model because of her bold choices, her work ethic, her ambition, and her constructive feedback.
Finally, what’s the key message you’d like to get across for International Women’s Day?
There is still a lot to be done to reach gender balance. One must remain strong, and work together, men and women, to bridge the gap. Initiatives such as “Brussels Binders”, created to hear more women’s voices in European debates and the “Women in green hydrogen” network are going in the right direction.
We’ve still got four exclusive Women in Hydrogen interviews to share with you in celebration of International Women’s Day. Keep your eyes on the website, there’s more to come!
Source: h2-view
