Several times a year, we take you behind the scenes at Sensile Technologies to meet one of our team members. Today, we invite you to meet Xavier Reigner, Head of Electronics & Certifications.

An engineer involved in the development of Sensile Technologies, almost from the start

Xavier Reigner joined Sensile Technologies more than 20 years ago, in 2003, when the company was still a fledgling start-up and he had just graduated from EPFL with a master’s degree in Microtechnology. A few years later, he took over as Head of Electronics & Certifications in the hardware and certifications team. During this same period, Sensile Technologies grew from a start-up to an SME, gradually moving into the leading position it occupies today in the telemetry sector for the oil and gas industry.

Xavier wears many hats, dividing his time between engineering work and managerial tasks. As a manager, he is true to the Sensile Technologies ethos, giving each engineer a great deal of freedom to set their own priorities and take responsibility for development. This is something dear to his heart and is also the strength of the company, which has retained its start-up DNA despite its growth.

Xavier’s role is above all to ensure that hardware and certification developments progress coherently with firmware and software developments. This means he constantly oversees the work being done by the various teams, acting as an interface between them.

One area of particular interest is the acceleration of hardware testing and validation processes, inspired by software development methodologies. The aim is to create increasingly automated validation test chains, to move towards shorter cycles. The building blocks that Xavier and his colleagues are putting in place over time will enable them to work progressively faster.

Compassion and teamwork – important in the office and out volunteering

While technology is at the heart of Xavier’s work, the human dimension is no less important. Openness to others and communication are important to him. And even if he admits, in all humility, that he’s not sure he’ll always succeed in achieving his objective, he believes it’s important to at least try.

Another aspect he values highly is making things work as part of a team. This is the case at work, but not only, as Xavier has also been a volunteer fireman for 32 years, a member of the staff and in charge of the DPS (first aid detachment). It was human contact and the desire to help others that motivated him to take up this activity. His altruistic and civic-minded nature comes from his parents, a heritage that he is now passing on to his three children. His two daughters are also members of the junior fire brigade, and the eldest even joined the basic fire brigade training school this year.

In a region with 55,000 inhabitants and 250 firefighters, Xavier is called out 20-30 times a year. It’s a busy job, and it’s often difficult to find volunteers during the day. Fortunately, the values that Xavier holds dear are also dear to his employer, who releases him from his obligations in the event of an emergency or drill. In March 2024, Sensile Technologies was awarded the Firefighters’ “Employer Partner” label. This label reinforces this commitment through a charter and is a recognition of the companies that make their employees available.

Visit Xavier’s LinkedIn profile to find out more about his career.