Workshop manager
Nicolas CHENAVAS
Colas Centre-Ouest
France
"My job is solving problems before they arise"
35-year-old Nicolas’ globetrotting days are now behind him. He spent a year and a half in Guiana, ten months in Chad and six months in Cameroon. He hadn’t joined the French Foreign Legion, but was working as a mechanic for a number of different companies worldwide. “But after that I wanted to put down roots,” says Nicolas, who was born and brought up in the French Alps. “I came back to France in 1998 to join the Colas Centre-Ouest profit center in Blois as a workshop manager.”
Since 2001, Nicolas has been based in the city of Tours. “I am there to solve problems before they arise,” he says with a twinkle. Assisted by a five-strong team, he looks after site equipment. “Techniques are changing very fast and you have to keep updating all the time. But I’m a curious guy and I like to learn.” Nicolas admits that dealing with people can be hard. “Not everyone is a good communicator.” He pauses. “I guess it’s the same everywhere…” Nicolas enjoys living near Tours, where he goes running and flies ultralight planes.
