Name: Raised by Trailblazers: How Estelle Brachlianoff Became One of Europe’s Top CEOs
Uploaded: 2025-12-02T17:58:43.000Z
Duration: 37 min 16 s
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We all have to make big decisions in our lives.

Decisions that define and influence our professional and personal journeys.

If you reflect on them, some are good and some I'm sure you'll definitely regret.

In my nearly three decades as a financial journalist, I've interviewed literally thousands of CEOs, politicians and market voices and they all had to make decisions to get to where they are today.

In this podcast, I hear about those choices as well as the moment, moments of doubt, risk and conviction that impacted our guests journeys and the people they lead.

This is Executive Decisions with me, Steve Sedgwick.

In this episode, I speak to Estelle Braklianoff.

So build solution, build ideas, build teams, rather than just complaining or waiting till the big schemes would be ready.

Estelle is the CEO of Veolia, a global leader in energy, waste and water management.

She leads more than 200,000 employees across 56 countries.

But her ambition to lead began at home, inspired by her mother and grandmother.

It's true that I come from a kind of genealogy of powerful women who break the barriers and the boundaries which were supposed to be put on them.

Channeling the strength of the women who came before her, Estelle continues to seize opportunities, be curious and trust her gut.

The guy has everything it takes, will be all right.

My gut feel was telling me not so sure I should have trusted my gut feel on that one.

Which doesn't mean that gut feel is everything.

But, you know, there is an element of ticking boxes or rational is not always the way to make the right decision.

These are Estelle Braklianoff's executive decisions.

Estelle, it's so lovely to see you again and I've been privileged to interview you several times, but

I've never had the ability to have a long interview with you talking about your past as well.

So I'm very excited about knowing what decisions you have made in your life and where you're at now.

Why aren't you an astrophysicist or an astronaut?

I say that of course, because that's what you wanted to be.

Yeah, that was my dream for a very, very young age, actually.

And there is still a bit in me of, you know, like, fascination about all that.

I still look at the stars with lots of pleasures and why didn't I become that?

Actually it started with me being very young and opening this book that was offered with all formulas super complex about, you know, astrophysics, Einstein and everything.

And it ended up into the last year of my university, where I finally understood what was written in this book, which I was given when I was 6 or 7, astronauts.

I wouldn't have the physical ability, like at all that I'm certain.

I've done a bit of astrophysic in my life and research altogether because I've done a bit of quantum physics as well.

But I'm more curious, curious about people, curious about discovering new things than just going deep into something, maybe.

And the idea of spending 20, 30, 40 years studying the same very narrow subject with just three or four people you can discuss in the world almost, who can have really an interaction on this subject was really what prevented me from going into this type of career.

You come from an extraordinary background.

I know that your mother was an engineer and she was at Aerospatial and at Airbus as well.

She was a forerunner for women everywhere.

But you also tell me your grandmother was of a similar vein as well.

So just tell me a little bit about the huge influence that your mother and your grandmother have had in your career now, in making your decisions.

It's true that I come from a kind of genealogy of maybe powerful women who break the barriers and the boundaries which were supposed to be put on them.

So there is a bit of freedom in those two, actually.

The grandmother I'm talking about is the mother of my father and of course my mother.

I'm doing exactly what I want and I really care about.

For my grandmother, she was quite adventurous, if you say that in English lady.

In the 50s, she would travel to Afghanistan, trekking and experience and things like that.

she didn't stay very long with my grandfather at a time where it was not common.

She lived her whole life in a way, in exactly the way she wanted, so nothing imposed on her.

And my mother was quite similar in that respect.

She always said, estelle, you do whatever you wish in life, but whatever you wish.

Don't have anybody imposing anything that you don't really want, and

don't depend on anybody, including on a man.

So be autonomous, living so you can be free.

I guess that clearly has rubbed off on you from a very early age.

They were your biggest influences, probably, yes, in that there was something about you can do pretty much anything you want as long as you have the will, as long as you work hard.

There is a Work ethics as well, which, you know, I was given by my mother in particular.

And you can do whatever you want, doesn't mean to be only professional.

I mean, you know, if you want to be a mother of your kids and stay at home, that's perfectly all right.

Did your mum have to make some big sacrifices to have that incredible career ultimately at Airbus?

I guess she was really a first of her kind because she studied aeronautics, she entered Airbus and she was the first woman ever in the design center of Airbus at that time.

She dared wearing trousers instead of a skirt, which was like absolutely shocking.

And all other anecdotes like that, which she was telling me when I was a kid, the influence is there.

You went to the Ecole Polytechnique as well, and you carried on your education as well.

And you moved into the workplace In, I think 1998, working in Valoise infrastructure projects as well.

Did you start in your business career thinking you were going to stay in infrastructure and that kind of area, or did you think in that stage actually it was a bridge to other jobs or other careers?

And honestly, each time I was given the impression that it was a clear, almost a bit too linear path, I walked away and said, no, I want to do something else.

So I ended up into a nice university, Ecole Polytechnique, not having any idea about what I wanted to do, professionally speaking, enter into what was a civil service for infrastructure.

And I thought, that's great because it makes sense.

Yes, as it went along, as opposed to an intention of any sort, if I'm honest.

So each time I'm like, I'm letting things flow and opportunities arise and then, okay, what about doing that?

then I'm quick in seizing the opportunities as well and never seeing it as a risk more.

If it doesn't, I'm going to do something else.

And it really tallies with what I try to tell my own children that you don't have to create a career at an early stage.

And so this show is called Executive Decisions, but

at that stage of your career, it's almost executive indecision.

Subtitles ListPlay Video

Raised by Trailblazers: How Estelle Brachlianoff Became One of Europe’s Top CEOs

absolutely

mindset

genuinely

infrastructure