12 13 14 - WOMEN in Fasteners - OPTIMAS - TOR096 2025.qxp 06/06/2025 12:56 Page 1
INTERVIEW WOMEN IN FASTENERS
JOCELYN ZHOU, NICOLA SMALL & PATRICIA LEBRETON OPTIMAS
JOCELYN ZHOU
NICOLA SMALL
With decades of experience in the fastener industry and across different continents working for Optimas Solutions, Jocelyn Zhou, Sales Manager working out of Suzhou, China; Nicola Small, Commercial Director for the UK based in Gloucester; and Patricia Lebreton, Outside Sales Program Manager stationed in Hambach, France, share their insights into the fastener industry – and wider engineering sector – with Torque Magazine…
How did you get into the industry? Lebreton: I needed to complete an internship during the final year of my master’s degree, and I was fortunate enough to do it with this company. At the end of the internship, they offered me a work contract, which I gladly accepted. Small: My entry into the industry started with a summer job in the UK after finishing my exams at age 16. I had family working at a malethreaded manufacturing facility, and they needed temporary support as they worked toward gaining TS 9000 accreditation. I was brought in to help with the administrative side – mainly compiling documents and supporting the imple mentation process. The original plan was to return to higher education, but the appeal of earning a regular salary convinced me to stay. While I was still working as a temp, a vacancy came up in the production planning department. I applied, got the job and ended up staying in that role until the site eventually closed in the early 2000s. Zhou: My story is pretty straightforward – I’m still in my first career so far. I started as a graduate trainee back in 2011, right after finishing my master’s degree. I actually found out about the job through a recruitment message on my university’s website.
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What really caught my attention was that the company was offer ing a fullyear training programme in the UK. That opportunity to spend a whole year in the UK, fully paid by the company, was a huge attraction for me. Moreover, I would be able to start my career in a role I was excited about. It felt like a dream job at that moment, so I applied, passed the interview, and got the position as a graduate trainee. And here I am, 14 years later! What does your day-to-day job involve? Lebreton: I respond to all my customers’ price requests, ensuring they get accurate and timely information. I also support them with the engineering side of part development— often by identifying and offering components we already have in stock that might suit their needs. In addition to that, I closely follow up on ongoing projects by tracking the offers we’ve already sent and verifying consumption figures to ensure everything is progressing smoothly. Another important aspect of my role is prospecting, which means identifying and reach ing out to potential new clients. Small: I lead a team that manages the entire frontend process of our business. We handle everything from receiving