After 17 years travelling around France as a high-voltage powerline technician with Omexom Thiers Lignes Aériennes, Cyril Desfontaine is now passing on his experience to future generations. The former lineman trains future professionals in the trade and ensures they follow on-site safety rules.
For Cyril Desfontaine, his entry into the world of the linemen – high and extra-high-voltage electrical installers – was something of a misunderstanding. On his way to apply for a job with a lighting firm in Courpière, in central France, the 31-year-old northerner mistakenly walked into the company next door, SCIE THT. The manager of that construction and electrical line installation business, a VINCI Energies subsidiary, seized the opportunity and hired him on the spot.
“So, it was by pure chance that I found this trade that was perfect for me and became my second family,” says Cyril Desfontaine. After three years in the Navy, then six years in various jobs in the Auvergne region (woodcutter, sawmill operator, factory worker, etc.) and just over a year with a construction firm, Cyril Desfontaine finally discovered “an unconventional job climbing up towers and travelling around a lot, where you form close ties with your colleagues”.
The on-site years
Employed by SCIE THT in 2007 as an assistant installer and HGV driver, Cyril Desfontaine proved a fast learner and became a high-voltage overhead line technician. “For around seven years, I criss-crossed France and learned this trade, which requires very specific technical knowledge and extreme precision.” He was then made a team leader, this time for underground connections.
“Now, all I want is to hone my skills to promote this amazing job of powerline technician.”
But that experience lasted less than a year. “That job wasn’t for me. I missed climbing the towers and working with the equipment we use for overhead lines.” His business unit therefore reinstated him with his previous team as the assistant to his former boss. His role involved preparing hardware and managing interactions with customers and residents affected by the work – but also still climbing towers with his team.
Some of Cyril Desfontaine’s fondest memories are of projects where the cables were unspooled by helicopter – “awe-inspiring and highly technical work that requires a huge amount of advance preparation”. But his most striking recollection is of a high-altitude mountain project in Tignes. “One day, a helicopter dropped us off at the base of a tower. At the end of the day, the chopper was grounded due to the weather forecast, and we had to go back on foot. That was a memorable hike through an astounding wild landscape.”
A pivot to communication
After 17 years installing powerlines, following a motorbike accident, Cyril Desfontaine retired from the nomadic life. “I was on the verge of looking for another job when my manager, who knew I was planning to leave, suggested I could be an on-site health and safety specialist and QSE [quality, safety and environment] trainer.”
His involvement in agency worker recruitment days with Adecco had convinced his manager of Cyril’s communication skills. “It was an opportunity and a genuine relief to stay in the trade I love.”
And so at the age of 48, Cyril Desfontaine joined the Omexom Institute training centre in Thiers. For the past two years, the former lineman has been rediscovering the joys of site work while also training new installers in the safety rules and fundamentals of the trade. “It’s rewarding to pass the torch and share what I know. Whenever a new young geek arrives, it’s a challenge for him and for me. But at the end of four or five weeks, when he’s pumped to go out and do the job, it’s a really proud moment.”
Laughing, he adds: “Watching the kids dancing around the base of the tower or singing away up at the top makes me really happy.”
Confidence is key
On site, Cyril Desfontaine’s experience gives him natural authority with the teams. “I understand their reactions. I lead them, but with kindness. The guys feel more comfortable talking to me.” He believes that the necessary qualities for his new role are teaching skills, listening – and physical fitness. “When you’re repeatedly climbing up and down a tower training young people, you need to be in shape!”
In hindsight, Cyril Desfontaine sums up his career in one word: confidence. “As a lineman, confidence in my crew. And then, the confidence the company showed in me in allowing me to become a trainer. Everyone was hugely supportive and really helped me to take on this new challenge. Now, all I want is to hone my skills to promote this amazing job of powerline technician.
11/10/2026
