HOW YOU SWAN #4 : Isabelle Valentin

We launched HOW YOU SWAN to tell the stories behind the missions — the bold, human stories of women reshaping the space sector with purpose, resilience, and leadership.

Every edition, we spotlight one of our incredible members to show how they SWAN: how they navigate their careers, advocate for others, and turn barriers into breakthroughs.

Today, we’re proud to introduce a woman who brings operational excellence, international expertise, and passion for launch readiness to the space industry.

🚀 Isabelle Valentin

Chief Operations Officer, Latitude

🌟 Her elevator pitch:

“International leader, leveraging over 20 years of successful management in the automotive industry (Development, Project, Operations, Manufacturing and Quality) developing sustainable international teams in challenging multi-cultural contexts. In September 2023 I joined Latitude as COO to secure the industrialisation of 50 rockets per year. I combine lean engineering and manufacturing with technical know-how and passion for launch readiness. I love new challenges and ambitious targets. I have track records in plant & product launch.”

💸 What would she do with $1 million to drive inclusion in space?

“The training of all managers to the benefit of diversity and how to identify and correct unconscious bias.”

Isabelle’s vision for inclusion is systemic: she wants leaders to understand bias and actively build teams where diversity is valued and leveraged for better solutions.

💬 One piece of advice:

“If someone is telling you something different than the others, he or she is not always wrong, he or she might just see it with a different prism. Listen to this as it often can allow the team to build a stronger or better solution.”

Her words remind us that inclusion is not just policy — it’s listening, curiosity, and valuing different perspectives.

👩🚀 Her story as a woman in a male-dominated field:

“I went to Shanghai in 2010 to set and open the 1st textile Chinese plant for Autoliv. In 9 months we created a sewing plant, trained over 400 employees and started over 20 different lines and products with no customer disturbance.”

Isabelle’s story reflects operational excellence under pressure, leadership in action, and the ability to navigate high-stakes environments with precision and determination — all while breaking barriers as a woman in a traditionally male-dominated industrial space.

At SWAN, we celebrate Isabelle for her courage, her operational expertise, and her commitment to diversity. Her example shows that leadership is about vision, execution, and inclusion, all at once.

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