“This mutual engagement has become a new source of motivation”
Gaëlle arrived at Première Urgence Internationale with the desire to reconnect with her values and to find true meaning in her work. From “log admin” to head of the audit department, she looks back on her journey within the organization.
Gaëlle, head of the audit department © Première Urgence Internationale
What made you decide to work at Première Urgence Internationale?
I have always been interested in this field, but at the time, I thought that I did not necessarily have a place in it, given my skills and my background. It was only after an assignment with another NGO, when I was a consultant in the private sector, that I realized I was completely wrong. From that moment on, I started my professional reconversion in order to move towards the field of humanitarian aid.
At that time in my career, I had difficulty finding a real meaning in the functions that I occupied, and especially a good reason to get up in the morning. A feeling that totally changed when I started working in this sector. This mutual engagement that we can all have in working within an organization became a new source of motivation. The position that Première Urgence Internationale offered me and the activities deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo interested me a lot.
I have remained with Première Urgence Internationale ever since, as it is an NGO on a human scale, accessible both at the headquarters and mission levels. Being part of Première Urgence Internationale is like being part of a family.
How has Première Urgence Internationale accompanied you in your career development?
I have always been accompanied in my various job changes, both on a technical and career level. I went from administrator to logistician administrator to administrator and financial coordinator. When I became a logistics administrator, I had the support and guidance I needed to develop my skills in logistics, which was not my job. This was also the case when I arrived at headquarters, where I first started as a management controller and then when I joined the audit department.
What does your position as head of the audit department bring you professionally?
On a professional level, it is a completely different challenge and a completely different experience than the one I had before, even if each experience has its own challenges. The auditing department at Première Urgence Internationale was already in existence, but it was not a department in its own right. Setting up a new function within an existing structure is not always easy, especially since it is never very pleasant to be audited. There is still work to be done, but our internal and external audits are already providing support to improve our interventions through advice and support.
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