Meet Our People

What were you doing before joining GE?

I joined the Executive Trainee Program of GE Capital Hungary after my graduation. During my university studies I worked as an intern at one of the biggest telecommunication companies in Hungary.

Why did you decide to join GE?

GE is one of the most recognized and widely known companies in the world. Starting my career as a fresh graduate at GE offers me great opportunities to learn, network and excel.

What are you working on?

After finishing the trainee program (Consumer Sales, Corporate Sales, Collections, Risk Management), I decided to join the Corporate Banking division. I am currently managing and financing a portfolio of clients from the SME segment. I work closely with other departments, such as Risk Management and Treasury.

What were you doing before joining GE?

Before joining GE, I worked as a Chief Architect of Cisco Advanced Services, introducing multiple products, including AVM (Application Visibility & Management), HSX (Health Service eXchange) and VSX (Virtual Service eXchange) as Service Delivery Platforms. I have been working in the high tech industry for more than 20 years and have been credited with more than 3 large scale distributed systems in telecom and business operations. I have experience at both startups and large companies, in roles ranging from CEO to Chief Architect.

Why did you decide to join GE?

I decided to be part of GE for two reasons: One, the CLDP program. The structure and the design of the program fascinated me the most. In the next two years I will be exposed to many challenging jobs that I wouldn't have done in my job prior to joining GE. I look forward to the cross-cultural experience that the program has to offer me when I move to a new country; this will not only help me meet like-minded colleagues from a different part of the world, but also help me expand my domain of knowledge. On the other hand, what excited me was the idea of being a part of a large global community called GE.

What are you working on?

My key project is revamping the GE India Capital website from scratch. I am working to give it a fresh look and make it content heavy. It is a challenging task to make a five-page website into a 65-page robust website adhering to the global brand standards. I am also learning to become a true GE boundary less employee by extending my expertise to different teams such as the GE India corporate team, to manage the 1st India Grand Prix Customer engagement program and GE India - Women's Network for their annual hub events across five cities.

What were you doing before joining GE?

I had a gap year before university and worked for a major building society dealing with mortgages. This work experience was valuable to my career as it made me realise 100% that I wanted to continue into further education and have a career in IT. I studied at Kingston University and between my 2nd and 3rd year of study I had a placement year with GE Money Home Lending.

Why did you decide to join GE?

My internship with GE Money Home Lending inspired me to join the ITLP program. Throughout the year I had visibility to global teams across different GE businesses and got involved in "real world" projects that directly influenced the business. I was never asked to make the tea! The internship allowed me to develop not only my technology skills but most importantly my soft skills; leadership styles, presenting and influencing. GE is such a large, diverse and innovative company that invests heavily in their employees I knew I wanted to be part of this when I graduated.

What are you working on?

Currently I am working in the IT Security team as a Project Manager. One project is to create and implement globally for GE Healthcare a computer forensics process. The other project is on VPN Remediation. This involves identifying issues we have with our virtual network connections and making recommendations of how we can manage these.

Why did you decide to join GE?

I wanted to embark on a career journey that would give me diversity, challenge and leadership development. GE's Financial Management Program (FMP) offered the exciting opportunity to experience different elements of finance while working on various rotational assignments. What makes this graduate program even more unique is the commitment to growth through multiple training, supporting coursework, travel and network opportunities.

What are you working on?

During my first rotation, I was based in Sydney as part of the GE Capital Pricing team. This project oriented role enabled me to assist in the evaluation of commercial deals, analysis of GE's Cost of Funds and tracking economic trends. Moving into Financial Planning and Analysis, as my second rotation, I focused more on consumer business, its key financial metrics and internal reporting requirements. My current role within GE Energy is an insight into the industrial side of business, working closely with the Asia Finance team. Key areas involve controllership, analysis of Foreign Exchange movement and possible hedging options within GE Energy financials.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

When I joined GE, I knew I was going to be exposed to a wealth of Oracle initiatives, best practices and exciting challenges, but the reality of my role has far exceeded my expectations. There are always opportunities for me to develop new skill sets and to learn from experts in the field.

What are the best parts about working at GE?

I love being part of a large, respected company that has such a rich history. Working for GE means so much more than just doing your "day job", and opportunities exist on so many levels. I believe in our Company and in our leadership, and I am immensely proud to be part of this winning team.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

After University, I started my career as a rocket scientist at a defense manufacturing company in the U.K. But after a time, I realized the purely mathematical focus of the role was leaving me cold. So, I explored other options and settled into a production and inventory manager role for one of the company's products and became a key member of the team to implement an MRP2 system at that location. From the moment I stepped into the MRP2 world, I knew I belonged there. I loved applying my creativity and resourcefulness to design new processes and even developing software to help my business improve its data accuracy, increase productivity, and deliver measurable results.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

My team supports Oracle Applications projects for all of GE Energy. These projects range from MGPPs over two to five years or quarterly releases. Therefore, flexibility and creative thinking is critical, but GE has armed me with the tools and resources and surrounded me with the best and brightest minds to get the job done.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

During the 13 years between my career with the defense manufacturing company and joining GE, I ran my own consulting company. That opportunity really taught me the ins and outs of relationship management: I implemented manufacturing applications for clients in industrial gas, oil, plastics, food and beverages in 13 countries. I was able to connect with great people and learn every day, developing deep knowledge that grew with every new assignment.

What were you doing before joining GE?

I was getting my M.S. in Electrical Engineering and doing an internship with Yokogawa Electric Company in Japan. I figured I would put to good use my minor in Japanese and gain some valuable technical and cultural experience in the workplace. Plus it provided an opportunity to feed my traveling and photography hobbies.

Why did you decide to join GE?

A major factor is GE's reputation for creating the industry's future leaders and their global business. Their emphasis on leadership training and development as well as their vast technology breath is very appealing to long engineers, as demonstrated by their dedicated leadership training facility in Crotonville, NY and Global Research Centers around the world. As an intern, I had the opportunity to witness firsthand how GE was investing in their employees and wanted to be a part of it.

What are you working on now?

I am currently a second year Edison in the Edison Engineering Development Program at GE's Global Research Center in Niskayuna, NY. I have been working on Advanced Technology programs focused on Electric Vehicle Infrastructure for Smart Grid. Such as realizing infrastructure for remote network monitoring and control of Smart Grid assets and developing embedded electronics in those assets to enable local intelligence. This role provides me the opportunity to possibly influence the way we live our lives in the future.

Why did you decide to join GE?

A big draw was knowing that GE builds products of significance. We create technologies that make our lives better. There's a lot of pride in that. Plus, GE's reputation for producing great leaders gave me confidence that I would receive the best training and biggest opportunities to grow as a communicator. And I was right!

What are you working on?

My final CLDP rotation brought me to our NYC office where I'm supporting GE's Digital Marketing team. I'm helping develop content for all our social media platforms in order to tell GE's story and build engaged, customer communities online. In addition, I'm supporting GE's "social listening" efforts around the world, so we can respond and react to conversations happening about the Company online in real-time.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

I lead a team that is responsible for all IT activities, operational and strategic, at 18 component manufacturing facilities across three continents and seven countries. As IT has become a critical aspect of running the business, even a short outage jeopardizes customer fulfillment. I enjoy being a key part of an organization that works to meet customer commitments and achieve business goals.

What are the best things about working at GE?

The GE work environment is fast paced, dynamic and full of energy. Decisions are made quickly, and people are held accountable. GE rewards those who are talented, who are willing to work hard and deliver results. I like this environment, as it keeps me on my toes and allows me to exert energy on delivering results for the business.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

I have been in several jobs that helped me prepare for this one. However, the one that had the most influence was the Black Belt assignment working in GE Transportation's Global Services business at the Union Pacific locomotive facility in Denver. I experienced firsthand the challenges an operations business faces and their reliance on IT systems to meet daily production targets. This experience has helped me realize the importance of reacting quickly to meet business needs.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

As IT professionals, we regularly partner with functional teams to onboard new applications, systems and processes. In one instance, I was engaged in a project spanning 50-plus internal and external customers, each with their own processes and desires. The functional lead was changing jobs, so I picked up the functional responsibility as well. Overnight, I became the face of GE to our external customers. I had to deliver on our project goals as well as work through the challenge of onboarding new processes.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

I have built up strong fundamentals in programming languages, software engineering methodologies and data architecture. I stay current on trends, maintain a high level of understanding of new technologies, and rely on my technical foundation to go deep when needed.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

The ability to work with cutting-edge technology and to be part of implementing IT security solutions across all of GE. I've worked in the information security and compliance field for most of my career, and GE offers a unique opportunity to work on an unprecedented scale - with global stakeholders, across a wide range of industries.

What are the best things about working at GE?

It sounds cliched, but the caliber of people here is the best part of working at GE - I have already met so many talented individuals. My leadership team empowers me to make key decisions independently, while also providing guidance and the structure needed to perform to the best of my abilities. Additionally, at GE I have found a very open and helpful group of peers who willingly share their knowledge. Finally, the overall corporate dedication to information technology is obvious; it is exciting to be part of an area so important to GE-wide objectives.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

My prior work experience focused on information technology risk and compliance consulting. I typically worked with a multitude of clients across various industries, and learned to quickly grasp the intricacies of a company. Working at GE is similar to providing consulting services for many clients simultaneously, with a larger-than-average scope due to the sheer size of the GE businesses.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

Our managed antivirus project spans all of GE, covering more than 360,000 end-user devices currently. And this number is constantly growing due to acquisitions and expansion. With such a wide range of internal customers, it is always a challenge to match our solutions with the wide range of stakeholder security and compliance requirements. It is also incredibly rewarding.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

The ability to stay focused on business requirements when implementing, designing or evaluating IT solutions. I, like many others in IT, love technology! It is easy to get caught up in the newest exciting product or "hot" technological offerings. However, the latest and greatest piece of technology may not be a fit for GE. I constantly work to ensure that we are not proposing technical solutions for problems that do not exist.

What were you doing before joining GE?

Before joining GE, I was a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During my 4 years, I was a member of various clubs/organizations including the UNC Dance Team, the Undergraduate Honor Court, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

Why did you decide to join GE?

I wanted to join a company that placed emphasis on training and development throughout one's career. GE's Financial Management Program is well-known for doing just that, and I knew this program would offer many experiences that I would not be able to have elsewhere. In addition to seeing four areas of a GE business and working in four different functions within Finance, I was drawn to the idea of taking coursework taught by GE professionals that sharpen the core financial skills of GE leaders. GE is a global company that invests in its employees to build the pipeline of future leaders. I was able to experience this first-hand during my internship, and I knew FMP would be a great choice for me upon graduation.

What are you working on now?

I am currently working on the Risk Finance team for Power Generation Services within GE Energy in Atlanta, GA. In this role, I am responsible for managing risk for our contractual service agreements. I interface with the engineering and contract modeling teams to understand the inputs of each contract and track our performance compared to our estimate. This role is giving me the opportunity to work with a global team and experience a unique function of finance.

What were you doing before joining GE?

I joined GE after completion of my undergraduate degree. I had the opportunity to co-op twice at GE prior to graduation - once in Lean Manufacturing at the Rutland, VT facility and once in Marine and Industrial Projects in Cincinnati, OH.

Why did you decide to join GE?

GE has tremendous leadership and development programs that I knew would allow me to grow professionally in a way that I would not be able to with any other company. The Operations Management Leadership Program allows me to combine both technical skills and business knowledge and utilize them in a different way with each new rotation. It also presented the chance to experience a diverse range of positions that will help to provide me with direction for what I would like to do in future roles. It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.

What are you working on?

I am in my second OMLP rotation, currently in Marine and Industrial Engine Assembly in Cincinnati, OH as a Process Engineer. Together, with the mechanics in the area, I explore every aspect of the assembly process and make improvements to create a safe and productive work environment. I try to translate the needs and goals of the business into innovative solutions on the production floor.

What were you doing before joining GE?

I held two internships in Phoenix, Arizona, one at a civil engineering firm specializing in wastewater management and another at a genomics institute developing personalized genetic treatments for cancer patients. Working in both the civil and biological engineering fields prior to the aviation industry has given me a fresh perspective on aerospace engineering, specifically in the chemical and material science fields.

Why did you decide to join GE?

I decided to join GE because of the career opportunities, education advancement, and business diversity. GE offers leadership development programs for young engineers that are unrivaled in terms of experience gained and education offered. The Edison Engineering Development Program has allowed me to hold three different technical job assignments and work on my masters in a technical area. Because GE has businesses in diverse industries, I can work on projects that range from Aviation specific technologies to leveraging ideas from Energy and Transportation.

What are you working on?

I am currently working in the Manufacturing and Quality Technology Department in Composites Manufacturing Technology. My responsibilities range from product support at GE Aviation shops to developing new, more effective technologies for composites manufacturing. I am also working on my masters degree in Material Science Engineering from the University of Dayton through the Edison Engineering Development Program. By syncing my masters degree and job assignments, I have gained first-hand manufacturing experience while learning academic theories of material science.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

It is rewarding and fun to lead an information technology team focused on deploying creative solutions to solve some of our most challenging business problems. Within my area of responsibility, there is a lot of opportunity to learn our business, introduce new technology, and leverage existing capabilities to make an impact on how we collaborate and service our clients. It is great to be this close to the front line. It is even better when we win!

What are the best things about working at GE?

First, GE is a big place! We have products and services in advanced technology, finance, energy, healthcare, infrastructure and transportation. It is exciting to work for a company with so many areas of opportunity to grow professionally and personally. Second, I continue to be impressed by the talented people existing throughout all levels of GE. It is wonderful to work with people who are committed to teamwork and driving excellence in everything they do. Finally, GE's focus on diversity highlights the Company's goal of maintaining a workforce that reflects the audience we do business with and serve.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

Two years before coming to GE, I was an enlisted leader in the U.S. Air Force. As many know, the military is a very discipline-focused organization. It was a great place to develop my leadership skills, work abroad, and learn how to persevere, adapt and overcome during tough situations. The experience I gained while serving my country was key to helping me adjust quickly to the GE culture, welcome change, and advance into my present position.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

While I have worked on several great projects at GE Asset Management, I think the most exciting one is currently in progress. We have embarked on a multi-year project to overhaul our external web presence. This initiative involves improving branding, content distribution, collaboration, analytics and information delivery. It is a big win for our Sales and Marketing organization and a great opportunity to be imaginative and create a compelling experience for our sales leaders, clients, prospects and consultants.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

In previous roles, I have worked with data modeling, transactional database and reporting applications supporting Training & Development, Operations, Engineering and Finance. The technologies included Oracle, Java, SAS, BI, SQL, web, and custom modeling applications. My first job out of the military was with UTC - Pratt & Whitney, where I led the build of a data warehouse for the Military Engines division and then subsequently took on additional responsibility customizing SAP applications. In each role, the need to access and distribute data was paramount. Today, I also lead a team highly reliant on data within our organization to meet stakeholder and client needs. My early learning and experience in project management, data warehousing and application development has positioned me well to think strategically about how to meet objectives and help drive commercial excellence within my business.

What were you doing before joining GE?

I joined GE as my first company after finishing my studies in Mexico City. During my last year at the university I got involved in different projects regarding sustainable energy for applications in the campus. One of the things I liked a lot was the opportunity to contribute to the design and construction of a vehicle that works on hydrogen fuel cells. I met several people within the energy business in Mexico and I learned a lot. Since I joined GE I moved to Queretaro city, about two hours from Mexico city.

Why did you decide to join GE?

Since I was a child I had an interest for airplanes and aeronautics. I frequently went to the airport only to look at the takeoff and landing operations. When I realized that some of the aircraft engines were built by GE, I was amazed. With this background and my passion for engineering, joining GE was a natural step. I also recognized that GE offers a wide set of development opportunities, such as the Edison program, where I had the opportunity to get closer to the aviation world.

What are you working on?

During my time at GE Aviation I have worked with different disciplines within engineering. I started work on analysis and design of electrical systems for marine, industrial and aircraft engines. These components include temperature, pressure, speed and vibration sensors, as well as electrical harnesses. After that, I moved to the structural analysis team where I worked on manufacturing support for the engine compressor cases and analysis of structural integrity for several engine components. Then I started work on dynamic analysis of the mechanisms that controls the air flow along the compressor and supporting field issues, mostly for small and medium regional jet applications. Currently I am working on the performance analysis for large commercial jet engine applications.

What were you doing before joining GE?

Prior to a full-time job with GE Energy I was working towards my undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at NC State University. Among other leadership roles, I was a university tutor, WISE mentor (Women In Science and Engineering) and the President of the Recreational Sports Board of Directors, which worked with the NC State facilities director to improve the campus recreational facilities, fields, and gyms. I also interned with GE Energy over one summer and worked on the direct material productivity of radially-cooled turbine buckets.

Why did you decide to join GE?

GE Energy has several characteristics that I highly value, and I've learned are very rare to find collectively, within one company. GE Energy provides a wide breadth of innovative technologies and an internationally diverse group of people to work with. The company also places an emphasis on both personal and professional development and has really created a synergistic atmosphere of learning and making an impact through on-site and university classes, hands-on training, and challenging and diverse positions.

What are you working on now?

My current role is within the Gas Turbine Accessories New Product Introduction group, where I am redesigning and optimizing system level gas turbine components. Over my last three Edison rotations I have also been afforded the opportunities to design an IGCC (Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle) Feed Injector Helical Water Jacket Tip and develop the first-ever fully-integrated IGCC Plant Schedule, which includes the front end engineering design, risk abatement, budget and resource plans, for a cutting-edge Test Facility. I have also redesigned a front stage of a compressor in the GE fleet, to include the latest performance enhancements. These four diverse rotations have provided thought-provoking deep-dive and system-level design experiences.

What were you doing before joining GE?

Prior to GE I was obtaining my M.S. in Computer Science while working as a Java developer for Auto/Mate Dealership Systems.

Why did you decide to join GE?

Although many of people know GE for their work within the power (turbines) and aero (jet engines), it is less well known that GE is a top 15 software company and has plans to expand. By working at GE Global Research, I knew that I could help create, change and innovate new software, from the smallest data structure to a full scale data management system. The global impact of my changes and the challenges that come with such change brought me to GE.

What are you working on?

I have recently wrapped up my first full year here at GE Global Research, as a part of the Edison Engineering Development Program. I'm currently on my second rotation within the Research Center, doing work within the Big Data world. Our team has been investigating emerging technologies, creating new algorithms for Machine Learning at the Petabyte scale and working to design a system that can handle real-time analysis as well as historical comparisons.

What has been most rewarding about your GE experience?

Honestly, there have been so many great opportunities being a part of the Edison Engineering Development Program that it is hard to pick a single aspect. The rotations have allowed me exposure to multiple labs, different technologies and technical backgrounds that can be leveraged and innovated with. The technical and business training that I've gone through as a part of the program has also opened up new connections, provided insight on how many GE Businesses operate and provided training to accelerate my career.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

The people I work with feel like a family. Their dedication, knowledge and reliability give us in the OLC (Online Center) the ability to serve our customers, both internal and external, to the best level possible.

What are the best parts about working at GE?

Knowing that you help people every day!

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

After completing an Electronics degree in UK, and joining a later acquired company, Elscint GB, I looked to understand the equipment I worked on and focus on great customer service. This led me to be asked to continue supporting Elscint equipment for GE in Sacramento, California. I moved in 2000.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

Actually probably the currently developing product line. In the last 2.5 years Nuclear Medicine has developed six new machines, based off similar platforms, to bring the product to new heights of functionality and image quality. Several of our global team members (US, Europe and Asia) have been involved since the inception of the product to design great service.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

I think one of the greatest skills is the ability to understand the workings of the system, especially in a remote position such as the Online Center. I am able to visualize the screens the customer or Field Engineer is seeing at that time and this allows me to guide the customer to the correct area to resolve the issue. Of course understanding the functionality of the system goes a great way to solving the problems.

What is the best piece of career advice you can offer folks embarking on a technical career at GE?

Learn, Learn & Learn. Never stop listening, understanding and asking questions. Everybody knows something, and if those pieces of information can be put together they create a powerful tool. Be receptive to questions and look to peers for advice.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

I've been at GE nine years. I assumed my current role about a year and a half ago. From day one, I have been motivated by the diversity and challenges of the role. I'm able to help GE's businesses grow, and every day I get to work with GE's global, world-class talent, as well as watch the successful development of my own team.

What are the best parts about working at GE?

GE has a rich history, with a long-standing commitment to excellence, customer focus, and development of their employees. It's inspiring that throughout my GE career I've seen the Company and my co-workers continue to exhibit those same, fundamental principles that are still important today.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

I began my career as an officer in the U.S. Army, an experience that has been invaluable in developing my leadership skills. The military taught me to value a strong work ethic, how to motivate myself and others, and the importance of maximizing every team member's contributions. In 2001, I joined GE as a project leader providing network connectivity to energy power plants around the world. Later as a program manager, I evolved our services and began providing infrastructure solutions for sites all over the world. These two roles taught me the importance of being collaborative and customer-centric. The basic network access that office workers were taking for granted became lifelines for our remote work force: people operating on offshore oil platforms, climbing wind turbines, or working in the most remote parts of the world!

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

Growing as an individual requires taking on challenging projects, and my career at GE has provided many excellent opportunities for growth. I joined the GE Transportation team as the Information Management (IM) Master Black Belt, focusing on cycle time reduction, performance and availability, as well as infusing standard work practices across the team. It helped me fully understand the role of IT in enabling business process excellence. One of the most challenging programs I undertook was as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, improving the performance and availability of GE Transportation's software portfolio. I had to quickly understand the full technology stack, as well as prioritize the improvement efforts that would yield the best, and yet leanest results.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

I take pride in my organizational, tracking and communication skills. The amount of information we work with on a daily basis has expanded immensely, and being able to effectively work on simultaneous programs allows me to ensure the business is moving forward. When I led the Global Site Connectivity team, we executed more than 500 projects per year!

What are the best aspects of your current job?

Global Projects Operation (GPO), which is a business within GE Power & Water, is responsible for designing and executing projects for GE Energy technologies across the world. My team and I have partnered with the GPO group to standardize and simplify processes in the Thermal segment. We executed 13 Lean Action WorkOuts from March through July 2011 with nearly 500 participants and approximately 12,000 hours of process mapping and future state discussions. As a next step, over the next two years, our team will deploy enterprise tools, such as Oracle ERP, Primavera P6 and Enovia PLM, to drive business process excellence. I enjoy the challenges this presents, the process focus, and the great partnership we have built with the functional team. I am also an ITLP Lead Recruiter for Penn State, my alma mater. I really enjoy this aspect of my job. Especially establishing long-term relationships with current students and faculty, interviewing talented candidates, and helping them successfully make the transition to GE.

What are the best things about working at GE?

The opportunities to learn and grow your career, as well as the people you work with along the way. Across every GE business and location, I have found a creative, inclusive environment where people are open to ideas and willing to work with you. I have never found a single person who is unwilling to explain a concept, answer a question, or offer advice. This environment has helped me tremendously, and, in turn, it motivates me to help others succeed. This environment also transcends national borders. GE's global environment has given me cultural perspective and appreciation. I believe working with a global team on a daily basis is a key driver to being able to succeed in the 21st century, and GE has provided this opportunity.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

Every position I have held in GE, in its own unique way, has helped prepare for my current role. College: My first exposure to GE was the summer after my freshman year. I joined a local computer company in Albany. But, as luck would have it, I spent the summer installing computers for engineers on the GE Energy Schenectady campus as a contractor. Based on the contacts I made that summer, and with some persistence, I landed a summer internship coding web portals in Schenectady after my sophomore year. I translated this opportunity into an 8-month co-op in California for the newly acquired Wind business and eventually into a full-time ITLP position. The technical aspects of these college jobs helped me establish a strong foundation. ITLP: An entirely new set of doors opened. I learned first-hand the tools and challenges for deploying ERP programs on a SAP rotation in Minden, Nevada and an Oracle rotation in Atlanta, Georgia. I learned about global operations, as well as recognizing and adapting to cultural barriers during a rotation with Energy Services in Florence, Italy. IT Corporate Audit Staff (CAS): This was a tremendous personal and professional growth opportunity, as I had assignments across GE businesses in the U.S. and Europe. I learned about business operations in different segments, how to understand and speak "the language of the business" (which is finance), how to craft and deliver a message, and how to effectively track a large-scale system implementation. Project Fusion (Wind Americas ERP): As a track lead, this was my first opportunity to participate in a large-scale system implementation from start to finish. In this role, I learned the importance of making longer term strategic decisions and establishing a strong partnership with the business. I also learned how to effectively plan and manage a program, including managing a budget and vendor team.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

My current project is my most challenging assignment to date. We are simplifying from 90 to 60 core business processes, streamlining processes across the U.S. and Europe, and, in many cases, replacing processes and tools that have been in place for 20-plus years. This is a fundamental business change with no black-and-white solution. Therefore, focus on CAP and functional leadership is critical. There is heavy focus on executing 100 percent on-time and on-budget, which requires dedicating time to strategic project decisions as well as execution.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

I became interested in computers at a very young age, in particular hardware and software. I became an expert in the earlier Windows and Macintosh operating systems, and was the de-facto IT support person for my high school faculty. In college, I worked at a computer helpdesk, providing computer troubleshooting, hardware and software upgrades and virus removal. I also set up PCs and computer networks for a few local schools and churches. This experience still helps today. Understanding these fundamentals helps in translating technical requirements and specifications. It allows me to liaison between the functional and technical teams and to understand how end-users think. Finally, it helps me perform on-the-fly troubleshooting from testing to post go-live.

What were you doing before joining GE?

Before joining GE as EEDP I worked in a Center of Research for another company in France. I had this great opportunity thanks to a one year scolarship offered by an Italian organization.

Why did you decide to join GE?

I like to work for a big company and I was given the chance to participate in the interviews for the new EEDP candidates. The EEDP program looked to me as a fantastic opportunity to join GE.

What are you working on?

I'm currently working in the IPL (Industrial Plant) Team, as a Process Engineering for GE Oil & Gas. Inside the IPL process team, the objective is working on process' basic design and on detailed engineering for Balance of Plant related subjects. The aim of my daily work is to address activities related to process design by using the necessary tools, and at the same time carrying out specific engineering activities that are usually processed as engineers' everyday duties.

What were you doing before joining GE?

GE was my first company after working part-time on some government projects in Melbourne, Australia.

Why did you decide to join GE?

I'm not an environmentalist, but I always pay great attention to CO2 emissions and environmental pollution. GE's leading position in energy products and technology, and its positive and passionate attitude towards green solutions attracted me. In addition, programs such as Edison Engineering Development Program (EEDP) which I enrolled in, allow junior engineers like me to explore anything from wind power to nuclear power during the two years rotation and extensive engineering training course. This is also a good transition time for graduates in their early career to gain breadth and experience.

What are you working on now?

During my first rotation, I was based in Shanghai as part of CTC wind application team. This project-oriented role enabled me to assist with the technical risk evaluation of a wind project, analysis of wind resources and the mechanical load to support sales and customers. This rotation allowed me to understand the organization on a system level using my project management background. While moving into the Product Definition Engineering team in my second rotation, I focused more on detailed mechanical design, which helps me to understand GE products in a very different perspective than the first rotation. I'm still enjoying it now.

What were you doing before joining GE?

I joined GE after receiving by MBA. Prior to that, I helped to launch and market several technology companies in San Francisco/Silicon Valley.

Why did you decide to join GE?

I joined GE because this is company is committed to investing in innovation to deliver organic growth. Furthermore, I wanted to be part of a culture that rewards based upon merit, is involved in the community and has an unyielding foundation of integrity.

What are you working on now?

I currently work for Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Primarily, we sell, market and distribute the NBC Universal owned films and television content on DVD and other formats throughout North America. Our group works closely with our commercial team to make sure that they have the optimal strategies and tools to create value for our customers.

What were you doing before joining GE?

Prior to joining GE Corporate as an ITLP I was in the final year of my degree - Software Engineering Management - down in Bournemouth. A large and probably most important part of this degree was the placement year where I took 12 months out to complete an internship. I spent one year working within GE Capital in the Project Management Office. This experience was instrumental in helping me start my career, giving me exposure to all areas of the Project Delivery Lifecycle... from Concept and Feasibility to Testing and Deployment. As well as helping my career, I believe the focus a placement within GE gives you for your final year of study is invaluable.

Why did you decide to join GE?

Prior to joining GE as an intern, I knew little about the company - but when I saw the job advertised and began my research I was amazed not only at the breadth of markets GE operates in, but by the global focus the company has. Once I completed my internship, I was in no doubt about applying for ITLP... the experience of working with so many talented and experienced individuals across the globe keeps you learning all day every day. On top of that, the ITLP program gives you great exposure, offering the chance to perform four roles over two years, broadening your knowledge of the IT organization greatly.

What are you working on?

My core project this rotation is the delivery of ServiceNow - an ITIL compliant tool to replace our multiple incident, problem and change management systems. This application is being rolled out globally and I am working with the Americas based team to plan and coordinate the UAT (User Acceptance Testing), Training, Communication and Change strategy. As an ITLP I am also given the chance to work on side projects within the various committees we have. These involve recruitment, additional technical projects and blogging / newsletters.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

The day to day challenge on top of being able to do what we do best. This position really allows us to follow our passion.

What are the best parts about working at GE?

The opportunity to connect with customers and really make their day. Having been a customer I know how frustrating getting service from a large company can be, so I really try to make every interaction with a customer exceed their expectations and impress them that a company as large as GE can stop, give them our attention and do exactly what it takes to help them-I love it!

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

My position as a FE (Field Engineer) is very unique. Coming from a Military and In-House medical service background, I have to say this is a very different job. My dedication from the Military has definitely carried over to GE.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

No single project, but more the ever evolving market we are in. I really enjoy being part of a workforce that continually strides to keep up and stay a step ahead.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

I feel that our customer skills and the massive amount of GE resources we have is an amazing combination. I would have to say since I have been with GE my top skill has been learning to embrace new technology and change. This has put me in better places than anything else.

What is the best piece of career advice you can offer folks embarking on a technical career at GE?

Follow your passion, make every day count and also remember the opportunity you have to really help out in the medical field. Going that extra mile will not only impress that customer but ultimately effect the patient.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

My current role has many characteristics that make it great, but by far the best part is the people I get to interact with on a daily basis. I face difficult technology and process challenges every day, but am able to leverage a network of great IT professionals to help deliver for the business. I also find it rewarding to know that I am helping the Aviation, Energy, and Oil & Gas businesses solve some of the world's toughest problems. Walking through the airport showing my son the aircraft engines I have a part in producing is pretty neat as well!

What are the best parts about working at GE?

When I joined GE, I was looking for a company where I could build a career and that is what I found. I have had hands-on technical roles, organization leadership roles, and everything in between. As our products become more software-driven, the skills you get working in IT at GE are becoming invaluable. I could not imagine a better place to be.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

My 14 years in the IT industry have provided both breadth and depth in technology, while developing my people and leadership skills. I constantly draw from a diverse background and experiences to look at decisions from all angles, to ensure the business gets an optimal solution. There are very few easy answers in the world, so having different perspectives is key.

What is the biggest or most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

Leading a business to be an early adopter of GE's Single Sign-On software was a great experience. I was challenged to push the capabilities of the technology while being responsible for the architecture, implementation and support of the solution. If it did not work, the business did not work - that was a huge responsibility.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

The most important technical skill I learned is not related to a single technology, but rather how technologies interact with each other. You can have great depth in a single technology area, but still have trouble looking upstream or downstream from that area. Being able to look across technology silos is becoming even more important as technologies increase in complexity.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

As an architect, I am able to see across all activities within IT, which keeps it interesting. Would love to have time to deep dive into all our projects to help out, but it's not possible. I miss the detail at times. I also get to translate the technical aspects into language that stakeholders can understand. Being able to demystify some of the complexities we have in IT is actually quite rewarding. On a similar note, I am able to understand more about the business processes and our imperatives that help drive that focus across IT and deliver real value to our organization.

What are the best things about working at GE?

I joined GE two years after the acquisition of Amersham (where I was a consultant for eight years). This meant I chose to join the company, and I have no regrets. I love the structure, the focus on people development and of course the great products at Healthcare and other businesses. I recently did a cross-GE business project where I was able to get a sense of the scale of the company with all its people, systems and processes. Truly astonishing. If you go to IDM and register yourself on the DL "@CORP Telling Our Story," you get a weekly mail of all the executive summaries and PR highlights from GE. It is a great way to learn what our company is doing. It is not always easy, but if you can manage your workload and navigate the process it can be very rewarding.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

I was born in Cyprus, raised in New Zealand, and have worked for 15 years in Holland, Germany and Sweden. I was an IT consultant for most of that time, so I was used to working hard with a delivery-focused mindset. I think the combination of having moved around, together with a strong work ethic, has helped me enormously at GE. It is important to understand different people and cultures and to also realize that whilst we all feel the pressures of work, it is no different in other large companies, and here we are part of something truly great. I am extremely proud to be working in the Healthcare industry, and this helps keep me interested.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

I think the most challenging was in 2006 when we created a new Oracle instance for Life Sciences and merged three manufacturing, finance and distribution systems into it. It was most challenging, because we were recently acquired and were still learning GE tools, rules and processes. It was also challenging, because it was new technology for us. Since then, the Life Sciences IT team has done a fantastic job in moving many legacy applications to this strategic platform, and that includes quite a number of large acquisitions. We are about to embark on a large project to remove the final layer of legacy ERP systems into Oracle, and I am very excited about that. Fingers crossed for SII funding!

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

Truth be told, many of my technical skills are getting out of date. However, as a former programmer, I still enjoy getting involved in logic issues regardless of the language. I am a stickler for very detailed testing, which is critical for many of the complex supply chain changes we have made of late. During the Whatman integration of sales offices, I led the Data team, and we managed to convert five MFG/PRO systems into 32 companies on six JDE instances housed on four computers. We converted all open transactions during a single night and had only $160 currency differences for $22 million of orders. I love the detail that goes around planning and executing these events.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

With my current responsibilities as IT Risk Solutions Leader, I get to deal with lots of different kinds of issues and challenges - including application development, project implementation, service operations, IT security & compliance, IT strategy, vendor management, and customer service. It is a huge challenge to balance and prioritize all that needs to be done, and that makes it very interesting and exciting: strategizing, resourcing with the best talent, planning, prioritizing and executing with rigor and quality.

What are the best parts about working at GE?

The breadth and scale of GE is amazing! If you are capable and willing, the sky is truly the limit. When I joined GE 10 years ago, I was looking for a company where I could build a career and that is exactly what I found. I have had technical roles, process focused roles, organization leadership roles, and everything in between. As our products and services become more IT driven, IT security is a top priority. The skills you get working in IT at GE are becoming invaluable. I could not imagine a better place to be.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

Throughout my career in GE, I have had exposure to a number of IT and business functions. From the IT side, I made sure that I ran custom development projects, infrastructure projects, process & lean six sigma projects and worked on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) deployments. Every role and every project came with lessons to apply to what I do here every day. Exposure to multiple IT business functions is critical to being able to support them. Bringing the business context to IT security is helping me position my IT Risk Solutions team for success.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

My current role is probably the most challenging I've faced. The challenges and issues in IT Security and Compliance are more dynamic than ever. We are trying to do a number of things at once: protect the business and enable it, while at the same time move our application architecture to new technology standards. The trick is moving all these critical focus areas together seamlessly.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

I love working with the people, technologies, and IT services that we deliver through GIS. We provide important global solutions for email, instant messaging, mobility, e-meetings and virtual collaboration spaces to enable the business. We're proactive, evaluating new trends and technologies that can improve, replace, expand and integrate our service offerings, such as expanding the use of mobile devices and video in our solutions. Also, I was the second employee hired in the startup of GE's Advanced Manufacturing & Software Technology Center, and it is wonderful to see the location grow, collaborate and evolve. The diversity of people, work experiences and businesses here has created a strategic IT advantage for GE.

What are the best parts about working at GE?

GE offers a scope, scale and variety that is rare in today's business world. We're on the leading edge of developing important solutions for the planet, which makes every day an exciting learning opportunity and a new chance to make a difference. In my year here, I have been so impressed with the great people and openness exhibited throughout all levels of GE. It's refreshing to see people who care about teamwork, personal development, and completing their jobs in a way that benefits the company in achieving excellence in all business processes.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

Before coming to GE, I worked in IT for a global automotive supplier delivering application and infrastructure services, which provided me with a wide range of relevant experiences. I also worked extensively in the design, support and management of IT collaboration solutions, which aligns directly with my current role. Finally, my background as a Six Sigma Black Belt and business process examiner supports GE's focus on developing leaner processes and more cost-effective solutions.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

Right now, I'm involved in the launch and deployment of the new Virtual Collaboration Spaces (VCS) for GE. I lead technical training on these rooms, which will greatly improve collaboration by combining a variety of capabilities: telepresence, electronic whiteboards (or SMART Boards), WebEx meetings, LCD projectors, and high-tech Steelcase furniture. Before this, I worked with SMART Technologies to lead GE's image development, testing and integration of the GoWire device, a combination USB cable/memory stick containing all the computer drivers and application software needed to use the SMART Board in a VCS room. It's an exciting development: you need only install a 1MB launch program rather than downloading, installing and updating a 160MB software package, which was previously required. Simple and Lean: the result is reduced cycle time and support costs and improved usability.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

While my IT career began a long time ago - 23 years! The client and networking skills I learned as a desktop engineer and LAN manager are still invaluable. Technology continues to evolve, and processes improve, but what I learned then about working with people is still true and useful in resolving IT issues and designing future solutions.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

The best aspect of my job is the opportunity to see across the entire P&L, from sales to execution to support. In IT, we are in a unique position to have insight across all these business processes, with an equally unique opportunity to point out places where we can help make a difference.

What are the best parts about working at GE?

Two things come to mind when I think of working at GE. First: the unquestionable focus on people - their personal and professional development and their careers. Second: good ideas are rewarded and funded. I've not come across a single project with a strong return on investment that has been turned down for lack of funding. If it's the right thing to do, our businesses find a way to do it.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

Early in my career, I made sure to get visibility in a number of functions. I had roles in Technology, Manufacturing, Services, Sales and Marketing and Quality. Exposure to multiple functions was critical to being able to support them later. From the IT side, I made sure that I ran custom development projects, ran infrastructure projects, and worked on packaged Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) deployments. Every role and every project came with lessons to apply to what we do here every day.

What is the biggest or most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

My current role is probably the most challenging I've faced. We are trying to do a number of things at once: support a business that is going through substantial change, invest in tools that have lacked investment for several years, and move our application architecture to new technology standards. The trick is moving all three forward together.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

Data warehousing is probably the single skill that I've leaned on the most. In business, access to information and decision support can be a competitive advantage. Having a basic understanding of data warehousing and multi-dimensional tools allows business leaders to transition from basic score-carding and reporting to advanced analytics.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

The best aspect of my current job has been the opportunity to work on projects that not only offer lots of visibility, but also contribute significantly to GE's bottom line. I have been able to contribute to the extension of my business in high-growth regions of the world, as well as to help usher in a completely new business: GE Energy Storage. The challenges and growth opportunities have been tremendous. There is always something new to learn and apply...there is never a dull moment!

What are the best parts about working at GE?

The best thing about working at GE is the caliber of people that I have the pleasure of working with and being challenged by. Coming from another large company in the manufacturing industry (Ford Motor Company), I am accustomed to working in a fast-paced, results-driven environment, but the passion with which the GE team embraces these challenges is second to none. I am constantly impressed and encouraged by the talent here.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

Prior to coming to GE, I had done two Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementations for projects in Asia. My experience working in a rigorous manufacturing environment at Ford Motor Company, coupled with global ERP experience, helped prepare me for my first role here at GE Transportation.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

My current project is the largest and most challenging of my GE career. I am the Program Leader for the ERP implementation for the new GE Energy Storage business being initiated in Schenectady, N.Y. This is not only an opportunity to extend best practices in terms of systems, tools and processes, but also a potentially once-in-a-career opportunity to start a new business within GE from the ground up.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

Expertise with global ERP systems and knowledge of the systems development lifecycle - I've been able to leverage these skills in implementations of off-the shelf software - such as Oracle - as well as software development to meet specific business requirements.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

What keeps me excited every day about my job is being able to directly impact the business bottom line, establish viable business processes, and improve key business metrics. As Global Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Program Manager for Intelligence Control Systems, I'm involved in a project that touches all levels of our business - from executive leadership to shop floor technicians. I love the challenge of working collaboratively with cross-functional global teams: leveraging their strengths and cultural differences and engaging everyone to reach their best potential.

What are the best parts about working at GE?

I vividly remember that when I interviewed with GE, my hiring manager said this about working at the Company: "The sky is the limit." I've found that GE is a place for people seeking endless challenges and achieving their best; it's a place for great leadership within the Company and the community. There's no better time to be working at GE as we expand our focus globally, especially in the Asia market.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

I worked in a Healthcare IT company for almost 10 years, with an emphasis on the full Systems Development Life Cycle: from requirements gathering to quality control to production use. This drives me to hold high standards on quality and delivery timelines, while maintaining a customer-centric perspective. My business knowledge allows for a clear understanding of GE financials and how teams can contribute to the bottom line.

What is the biggest or most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

The biggest project I've worked on at GE is my current one - Global Oracle ERP consolidation. This involves bringing our Italy, UK, Netherlands and North America business operations into a single Enterprise Resource Planning platform. The most challenging aspect is maintaining communications across cultures as well as time zones.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

Creative-thinking techniques are a cornerstone to my problem-solving ability. They broaden the ideas I can bring to the table, plus allow me to accept off-the-wall ideas that might otherwise be disregarded. In addition, practical experience with business intelligence has allowed me to focus on the customer's needs and understand what can be accomplished, and when.

What were you doing before joining GE?

Before joining GE's OMLP, I had three internships at Healthcare in the NPI, engineering, and manufacturing organizations. This was a really exciting time at Healthcare with our High-Definition CT system just being born and I was fortunate to be a part of the initial prototype builds. The experience made me appreciate all the teamwork and technical expertise needed to bring a previously un-imaginable product to life on the manufacturing floor.

Why did you decide to join GE?

I joined GE because I wanted to come to a worldwide leader in Operations and Leadership Development. General Electric stood out at the first choice for testing my strengths and weaknesses in striving to become a Supply Chain Leader. There is no other business where I would have been able to continuously test myself across a wide variety of roles and responsibilities.

What are you working on

Currently I'm working on Healthcare's transfer of our Global Electronics Center to Contract Manufacturers located in Asia. This is a really challenging role that involves hundreds of assemblies and thousands of components across an industry-wide supply chain that has been on allocation for the last 6-9 months. My current responsibilities include managing a team and balancing production with accelerating the supply chain of our future suppliers to ensure customer commitments.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

I did not start my career in IT; I come from a business background and always wanted to stay close to business. So, the best part of my job is the opportunity to see and influence, wing-to-wing, the entire business or function - from finance to manufacturing to sourcing, including all business functions. As we see inside, we have the best opportunity to deliver process improvements.

What are the best things about working at GE?

What I really like the most in GE is the overall diversity. There is variety in people, cultures, locations, challenges and thoughts. I really believe, if you spend time to listen well to others, you could learn something new every day, and you will benefit. Be open to anything new. However, regardless of the huge diversity, I feel we can all speak the same language no matter where I go within GE.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

I probably made a mistake 10 years ago - after my first Enterprise Resource Planning implementation, I wanted another and another. I did it again and again. Looking back to understand why I focused so exclusively on ERP, I realized that I liked learning something new each time, that my knowledge was continually enhanced, that I learned about new businesses and stayed very close to the business. Everything about it got me excited. As I am not from IT, I have always wanted to be a bridge between IT and business.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

If I look back, all of my jobs were very challenging. I have purposely chosen very difficult roles - the kind where you don't have too much competition, because they not only look hard, but they are really difficult to deliver. This sort of challenge brings me fully motivated to the office every day with the thought that I could be part of a very important thing - building the future solutions of our businesses and helping to enable it to grow.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

The way I look at skills is similar to building a house - start building the foundation, add your domain expertise, then expand horizontally. There is no clear path to success, but the quality of the foundation is the most important.

What were you doing before joining GE?

Prior to starting my internship at GE, I worked as an English Teacher for kids and teenagers. I also gave business English and communication classes at local multinationals.

Why did you decide to join GE?

I decided to join GE because I recognized it as a company that really cared about people. GE is able to provide unlimited opportunities to its employees worldwide, fulfilling many professionals' desire for development and growth. Not to mention it invests in active efforts to contribute in the communities where it is present.

What are you working on?

As part of the Staffing CoE team in Latin America, I've been supporting the university relations and talent attraction initiatives in the region. It's wonderful to be part of talent development; building pipeline and guaranteeing the continuity of the expertise needed to support business growth. We've recently also finished staffing for Leadership Programs and it's great to see young professionals track such brilliant careers. I love to see all of the brilliant career paths that start off of these programs!

What were you doing before joining GE?

My first two working experiences were in companies with less than 30 employees. Before joining GE Oil & Gas I worked as a contractor in a small plant in the south of Italy. This gave me the opportunity to learn more about GE and discover how amazing it is work in a cosmopolitan environment.

Why did you decide to join GE?

GE's brand and the organization overall were the key factors. The opportunities that we can reach within our company -- known worldwide as a leader in management practices and human resources -- are simply amazing. To know that different people from different cultures in different businesses (from Oil & Gas to Healthcare to finance) are working to reach the same goal is not something you find in any other company worldwide.

What are you working on?

I work in GE Oil & Gas' Global Operations as a Job Just in Time Specialist. I am part of a team that is improving a pilot program that will create a new Center of Excellence in the order to remittance (OTR) phase of the process. I assumed this role after working for four years as Material Manager. My responsibilities include working with key stakeholders to ensure P & L material planning and availability are met, customer requirements are satisfied and inventory levels are optimized.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

I lead an operations team of 15 employees and 140 contractors. We are a highly specialized team focusing on Oracle and Siebel technology. Our team is responsible for 11 business-critical installations of this software. It's very important that our processes are executed properly, because we have many detailed procedures and metrics used to monitor our operations. If we run into an issue, my team is quick to implement a process to control and prevent that situation from reoccurring. Sometimes when we quickly design processes, they are effective but not optimal. Perhaps the process is time consuming or has a lot of manual steps or requires coordination from many people. I enjoy working through these processes using Lean and other Six Sigma tools to design better process with more automation. By constantly applying Lean to our processes, we are able to provide higher quality services without increasing our costs. I am Project Management Professional certified and also Black Belt certified. This training helps me drive these improvements.

What are the best things about working at GE?

I like the fact that I am constantly challenged in new and different areas. I also really enjoy the flexibility our leader provides to my team. The key is that we all get our jobs done, but sometimes we work remotely or work non-traditional hours.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

I have a Master's degree, several certifications, and lots of GE leadership courses. They help reinforce my technical knowledge as well as my leadership skills.

What is the biggest or most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

My most exciting, as well as my favorite project, was when I worked for GE Capital based in Singapore. Originally, my assignment was to convert support of system at Auto Financial Services (AFS) from a high-cost vendor to in-house support. After working on this project for a few months, the transition was well underway, and things were running smoothly. At this point, the Thai currency crisis hit, and GE Capital was aggressively buying portfolios of auto loans in Thailand. I was asked to join the Business Development team to help analyze the vitality of the auto loans that were for sale. My role was to take the data files presented to GE Capital and develop data models to determine the price GE was willing pay for a portfolio. GE Capital found this analysis very valuable and proceeded to send me to the various GE Capital AFS businesses throughout Asia to teach these businesses how to set up similar models within their own portfolio. It was very exciting to work with so many different businesses and cultures on something as strategic as this.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

Clear thinking and a broad IT knowledge base have been key for me. Most of my roles, including my current one, have been operations-focused. Operations can quickly get complicated, which drives inefficiencies and rework. I enjoy using my Six Sigma skills to sort through a process and design something that is effective and simple.

Why did you decide to join GE?

Something that set GE apart from other employers for me was how the Company values its leadership programs and invests in the growth of young employees. I worked as an intern with the corporate communications team throughout my senior year at Syracuse University and was introduced to the hard-working GE culture and challenging high-visibility projects. From the internship experience, I knew that the Communications Leadership Development Program (CLDP) would be the right next step for me after graduation.

What are you working on?

Currently, I'm working on the corporate external relations team, responsible for protecting and enhancing the GE brand. This rotation, I have been working on communications for healthymagination, GE's initiative to bring better health to more people, and Developing Health™, a GE Foundation grant program that aims to increase access to primary care for undeserved populations in targeted communities. I am also currently helping to produce the 2011 Annual Report.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

The impact on the organization and business results, the ability to work with bright people, and the ability to develop others.

What are the best things about working at GE?

Three things stand out: the scale and reputation of the company, the variety of tasks and careers available, and the knowledge inside the company.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

It prepared me tremendously. I started my work in the software industry and soon faced problems with software engineering. That drew my attention to analysis and design methods and, later, to project management. Soon I realized that the software delivery process - rather than tools or languages - is the main reason for many problems, and I moved to process improvement, which ultimately led me to where I am now. I built my career on a combination of education and experience. I worked hard, but every few years I went back to the university to expand my skills.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

Working through a major, strategic change of the IT organization from a traditional, technology-driven IT shop to a modern service-oriented and process-driven IT organization (project ITILity). Working with technology is good, working with people is great, but the challenging part is working with people doing technology.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

I have a solid technical and management background, which gives me the ability to update my knowledge as technology changes. Having worked in technology support, programming, analysis and design and project management, I have a good understanding of dynamics of the IT world. In particular, I value my technical background in software engineering; it gives me structured thinking, a systematic approach to problems, and the ability to hack up simple applications quickly. It is useful and it is fun, too.

What were you doing before joining the Global Software Center?

I was a UX researcher, designer, and project manager at Siemens Corporate Research (SCR) for more than 7 years before joining GE Global Research and Global Software Center. HCI and UX-driven Innovation is always my passionate! Over the past 15 years, I was fortunate to have opportunities to dedicate myself into projects of such kind with a list of leading-edge organizations including: SCR, System Concepts Center @ Kodak, Philips Research Labs UK & Asia, and Industrial Technology Research Institute in Taiwan.

Why did you decide to join the Global Software Center?

I was fascinated by the vision of “Industrial Internet” and the opportunities of innovations that we can generate here to make the world a better place! The level of investment, commitment, and well thought plan for this vision from the top management was remarkable and exciting. Having a large group of TURE experts across the domains of HCI, CSCW, Social Media, and Mobile closely working together to connect smart technologies and create solutions for many of the most complex systems in use tomorrow, the possibilities are stunning – imagine that!

What are you working on?

I am exploring complex systems and scenarios involving multi-users and multi-devices interactions, and ways to help operators making better and faster decisions along the line. In addition, I am looking into advanced user interfaces that could be brought into the equations in a most useful, meaningful, and innovative fashion.

What were you doing before joining GE?

Six Sigma Master Black Belt for First Data Corp and Motorola Inc.

Why did you decide to join GE?

I was challenged to make a big impact in the Monitoring Solutions team by teaching and applying six-sigma tool set.

What are you working on?

I am working for R&D, improving quality by statistically modeling designs & applying DFSS/DFR/DFM, principals throughout the product life cycle, crossing boundary's into manufacturing, sourcing, and field reliability as needed.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

I enjoy the daily challenge of solving unique and complex problems. I am also very excited to be assembling a new team that will help drive the ERP mindset inside of H&BS.

What are the best things about working at GE?

The overall depth of technical and process expertise is outstanding at GE due to business diversity. I also value the emphasis on employee and personal development. We are truly a leader in these areas.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

Starting out at a startup really helped me on two fronts. First, it instilled the courage to take on challenging roles/assignments. I equate the culture to running pass routes. If you caught that ball, they would send you on a more challenging route the next time. Second, it allowed me to gain the technical and process expertise to succeed in a variety of roles.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

My last job, IT Leader for Home Energy Management, really forced our team to think about how our products are perceived in the marketplace. The amount of consumer research and design incorporated into our products impacted the way that I think about software now. It was also very challenging to create software for products and services in such a new market.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

I would have to say depth in programming. I still find myself utilizing this skill to figure out problems or offer creative alternatives to business processes.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

There's never a dull moment! Each day brings new and unexpected challenges. Every day, I walk in the door with a must-do list, but usually that list changes substantially within the first two hours. Things change quickly in our business, and that keeps me on my toes!

What are the best parts about working at GE?

The best thing about working at GE is the people; our Company employs some of the brightest and most hardworking individuals I have ever met. People here take great pride in what they do at every level, and that encourages me to continuously raise the bar on my personal performance.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

My initial experience with GE was as an intern with GE Energy in Schenectady, N.Y. After that, I knew immediately that I wanted to continue to work for GE. When I graduated from Syracuse University, I was hired by GE to be a systems analyst. I worked my way up by executing on every assignment I was given, progressing to project leader, IT architect and program manager. Each position meant increased challenges and responsibilities, and each new role brought important technical lessons from the best and brightest individuals in our industry. Today, I can apply the lessons I learned to make better, quicker decisions related to sourcing Information Management programs.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

My most challenging project was my first. Fresh out of college, I was the systems analyst responsible for creating the interface our engineers would use to monitor locomotives for service agreements. It was the first time I was able to apply my formal education to a real-world situation, and I wondered if I was ready. Not only did I need to display and gain skills around application development, but I also had to learn and adapt to the GE culture. That was no small feat, but mistakes were not an option. Fortunately, I worked with and learned from some of the best IT professionals within GE, and they helped me gain the skills and foundation necessary for my future success.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

The different positions I have held throughout my career have helped me achieve a good balance of skills in both application development and technical design. Typically, an IT professional is stronger in one area than the other, but I believe I have developed a good balance of both. Of course, problem solving and troubleshooting are key as we simplify processes and improve our users' experience. Putting the right people on each job is extremely important, too; it's vital for me to align staff who have the appropriate knowledge and expertise to assist with designing systems and resolving issues.

What were you doing before joining GE?

Before GE I was in grad school. Prior to that, I worked in the education field in Costa Rica for several years.

Why did you decide to join GE?

I joined GE for two main reasons – first, because of the people who I met during the hiring process. They impressed me, and inspired me, and I wanted to be a part of the same team they were on! I also joined because of the change orientation I sensed as part of the way people spoke. With things constantly evolving, I thought I could continuously grow as a person both professionally and personally. And I was definitely right.

What are you working on now?

Programs and initiatives focused on developing our executive talent. Looking at how our company can continue to evolve and compete to attract and retain talent in the future. How cool is that?

What were you doing before joining GE?

I joined GE right after completing my undergraduate degree.

Why did you decide to join GE?

It may sound cliché, but I really wanted to work on technology that helps save lives! I was excited about more than GE Healthcare’s product portfolio though – GE as a whole is such a well-respected company with great opportunities for growth and development. Also, since I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to work on specifically, the Edison Engineering Development Program seemed like a great place to start off on a exciting career path with GE.

What are you working on now?

I am wrapping up my 3rd rotation as a clinical research engineer with the Advanced Medical Applications Team in Interventional Cardiology. My team is developing a CT/Fluoro fusion application, which will serve as a potential breakthrough in electro-physiology ablation procedures. My core team is located in Buc, France and I work very closely with a local clinical site here in Milwaukee. My responsibilities include on-site clinical investigation and support, software development and publication development. For my last rotation, I will be working as a quality auditor with the GAC Audit Team.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

My current role as ERP Initiatives Manager is one of the most exciting and challenging positions I've ever had. My team is comprised of three groups; Design, Build and Run. In total, our group supports 20 production ERP systems, running over 250 databases across 128 UNIX services, using more than 500 terabytes of storage. These systems are responsible for GE's Aviation, Energy, Transportation, and Oil & Gas's accounting and financial applications, procurement, order processing and supplier management, inventory management, HR management and payroll functions - all of which demand 24x7 availability.

What are the best parts about working at GE?

The scale of the systems my team manages is enormous, and the need for seamless integration is paramount. What makes it manageable are the tools and resources GE provides to my team to do their jobs well, along with encouragement we receive from across the Company to stretch our thinking and come up with creative solutions to keep availability high and costs low.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

I long ago developed the belief that it's wise to develop expertise in at least one technology area. I chose to focus my learning on databases, and that decision provided me with the foundation for building my career.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

There have been many, but a recent example is our Intelligent Diagnostics and Repair project. Through this effort, we were able to automate the cloning of our ERP environments from production to development and testing. This effort reduced our cloning time from 24 hours down to four hours. Given that we perform more than 550 ERP clones a year, this resulted in almost 1,000 hours in productivity savings.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

Though not explicitly technical, the ability to manage large groups of people has been critical to the success I've had in my career. This skill is also critical to keeping a team focused on priorities.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

Every time I've started working with a new team in GE, the first thing that stands out is the quality of the people. I just took a new job, and in only a few weeks, I've met new role models who can help me learn new ways to lead change. I also like working with new technologies. Applications like Facebook and Skype have changed the way people connect with one another. I am fascinated by the opportunities to leverage the collective knowledge of thousands of sales professionals to make an entire team more effective.

What are the best things about working at GE?

Our culture demands performance, but there is also a strong tradition of community service. I appreciate the flexibility to volunteer at a local level. Managers are willing to find ways to make it work, and most teams engage in group service activities. GE's desire and ability to invest in people is also fantastic. The training opportunities are one thing, but the early exposure to leadership, the mentoring, and the focus on learning as a process have had even more impact on my development.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

I've spent a lot of time figuring out how to move and organize data to help make better decisions. This process is usually called data warehousing, and I've been involved with it in almost every role since I joined GE. After all those years of seeing things work and not work, I've developed a gut sense about projects that helps me ask the right questions. Being able to ask the right questions is the most important skill when dealing with the scale and complexity of GE Healthcare.

What is the biggest or most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

My team is currently trying to create a single view of all the activities GE is providing its customers. The healthcare industry is extremely complicated in the U.S., and it turns out that defining a clear, holistic view of a hospital network is extremely challenging.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

Last year, I geeked out and built a large data set and model to figure out which "expert" gave the best fantasy football advice. I then built a live app based on the results. At GE, I've been able to leverage the processes and tools used to create that app with much larger teams, to help make us more nimble and responsive to changes in the business.

Why did you decide to join GE?

I wanted to join a company that would offer me the greatest breadth of opportunity and exposure to some of the most capable business leaders around. GE is one of the most successful and respected companies in the world and its Financial Management Program offered me an experience unlike any other graduate program. Over four rotations and targeted coursework, the FMP provides a rare opportunity to develop a broad range of technical and business skills. Upon completion of the program there is tremendous scope to forge an exciting career in this global company.

What are you working on?

After a great year working in Sydney with GE Real Estate and then GE Healthcare, I have recently returned to Melbourne for my third rotation with the Financial Planning and Analysis team in GE Capital. In this role I am responsible for all headcount reporting both internally and to our regional headquarters in Japan. I am also leading an initiative to centralize our accounting for variable incentive compensation into one intergrated process. This rotation is providing great opportunity to understand the financial planning and analysis side of finance.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

In my current job, I get to see the massive positive impact that technology change can have on the business and on its ability to grow and adapt.

What are the best things about working at GE?

GE is a company that inspires its employees to strive to be the best. In a recent meeting, a senior executive said, "GE never goes for the passing grade...always the A+." In that environment, imagination and creativity are always welcome if applied constructively. Also, the sheer scale of GE means that there is always someone new to learn from or share knowledge with. The quality of the leadership and their focus on being good leaders is truly exceptional and is something that always reminds me to be a better leader.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

The ex-GE Money, ex-Global Banking business has been through many transformations, both organizationally and strategically in the last two years. Building and sustaining a virtual team/community of highly skilled technology professionals across 12 countries through these transitions has been very rewarding and certainly has a high long-term impact to GE.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

Architecture - whether infrastructural or application - is about compromise, making trade-offs. Every feature of every system comes at a cost. The ability to express this cost and benefit to business and technical professionals and guide the thinking about how to make the call is what being a technology leader is about. Architectural thinking and the experience/mentorship I received from some great architects makes me a better business leader.

What were you doing before joining GE?

I was completing my undergraduate degree at Clarkson University in Mechanical Engineering. I took my first internship/co-op with GE Energy in Schenectady, NY in the first semester of my Sophomore year, went back to GE Energy the following summer, then completed one final summer internship with GE Healthcare in Milwaukee, WI before beginning the Edison Engineering program in July 2009.

Why did you decide to join GE?

The many growth opportunities within GE, both longitudinal and lateral, and the Edison Engineering Development Program (EEDP). The breadth of experience gained in this program is unparalleled. Working with some of the best minds in the industry has facilitated great intellectual and experiential growth for me, which is very exciting.

What are you working on now?

I am currently on my second six-month rotation within the GE Healthcare EEDP program, working with the CT Hardware team. For this assignment, I am primarily involved in risk-retirement testing and analysis for the new CT platform being designed and scheduled for release in 2012. This rotation has proven to be very challenging and exciting for me, since I am working directly within a design team to answer questions that we have never even asked before.

What were you doing before joining GE?

During university studies I worked part time in one of the great banks in Sweden. After graduation I worked as a consultant with services in the areas of Risk, Business Continuity, Crisis and Exercise Management. Mainly I trained companies and governments in the telecom sector to manage risk and crisis.

Why did you decide to join GE?

I started at GE because of the innovative culture, the good balance between work and life , and the focus on leadership and hiring the right people. The personnel are not only competent, but also friendly and open to knowledge sharing. I also appreciate all the career possibilities you have in a global company.

What are you working on?

I just changed position and at the moment I am learning about our risk portfolio in Sweden. I will be responsible for the auto portfolio, our credit card, and CRM (Customer Relationship Management).

Why did you decide to join GE?

I decided to join GE after interning with the communications team for two summers. After working with three colleagues that had completed the Communications Leadership Development Program, I knew it was an amazing opportunity where I would be challenged, develop my career and grow.

What are you working on?

Currently, I am on my first of three rotations with GE Energy at work for Water & Process Technologies. I am focused on internal and organizational communications working on projects targeted to our 8,000 employees across the globe.

What were you doing before joining GE?

Immediately prior to joining GE's HRLP program, I attended graduate school to obtain my M.I.L.R and completed an internship with GE Aviation. Prior to attending graduate school, I worked for a non-profit organization in the Dominican Republic that aims to provide an quality education for children and also held various positions at the Frank Door Company, a cold storage door manufacturer owned by my family.

Why did you decide to join GE?

I decided to join GE for the opportunity to learn and grow. GE not only has renowned leadership development programs and a great reputation amongst HR professionals, but also a size and scope that allows for endless opportunities across multiple industries.

What are you working on?

I am currently working within our Staffing function to improve the overall process for salaried staffing in the United States. My goal is threefold - to make the process faster, to increase compliance, and to improve the experience of the stakeholders (i.e. candidates, hiring managers, and HRMs).

Why did you decide to join GE?

Both of my parents worked at GE, and I was lucky enough to intern the summer before my senior year of college. After those short few months, I knew that I had to work amongst top caliber people. GE people are sharp, talented and driven. I wanted to be held to their standard.

What are you working on?

I am working for our Government Relations team in Washington DC. The military (Department of Defense) is one of our most important customers. During a time of fiscal restraint, we become even more cognizant of our value proposition. The message has to be around cost, reliability, efficiency and safety.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

I've only been in the new role at GE Healthcare for a few weeks, so I'll answer this about my previous role at GE Energy, Power and Water - Renewables. My role was created when I stepped into it two years ago. Taking on a role that is new to the organization is always exciting for me. In this role, I've been able to develop IT strategies for and across the business teams I partner with. This has been a great opportunity and has really helped me to develop influencing skills.

What are the best things about working at GE?

In college, I had several internships, one of which was with GE. The best thing about GE then and today is that I continue to be amazed at the caliber of talent at GE. I have found that GE employees are eager to get the solution right and committed to working together to solve problems. This is the main reason I joined GE and one of the many reasons I am still working for GE today.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

In earlier roles, I focused on two key areas: 1) Increasing my technical depth and 2) broadening my business exposure by supporting as many functions and business processes as possible. Extensive knowledge of Finance and Supply Chain from my past roles has made my current role a great fit!

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

Several years ago, I led a project to replace an outdated version of Oracle ERP that was being used to purchase more than $4 billion of direct material for GE Energy. The initial implementation was one of the first at GE Energy and was a complicated transition for the business. After successfully obtaining the leadership commitment for change, I led an 18-month project with many complexities, both technically and organizationally. The skills, lessons and experience I gained on that project will be with me for the rest of my career.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

Since college, I have always found database design to be an interesting and useful subject area. I find it fascinating that the usability and performance of an application can be optimized with a good database design. When faced with critical outages or performance issues, I have found that this knowledge has been very helpful to me over the years.

What were you doing before joining GE?

I was a graduate student at Penn State and I had a lot less hobbies!

Why did you decide to join GE?

I joined GE because I was very interested in working on materials in the alternative energy space. GE Global Research has diverse research programs in wind, solar, and fuel cells, it seemed like the best place to work to make an impact in alternative energy research.

What are you working on?

Currently I am working on solid oxide fuel cells for power generation.

What has been most rewarding about your GE experience?

I like the faster pace of research in an industrial lab and the prospect of working on something that might be a game changer for power generation.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

I love working with some of the most passionate people on new and emerging technology solutions that will help various GE businesses and drive growth. The solutions we're driving make a big impact on the business, and the technologies that we're developing for business needs are truly on the cutting-edge (sometimes a first in the industry)!

What are the best things about working at GE?

GE provides the perfect environment for professional growth. Few companies can offer a similar opportunity to gain broad exposure to diverse business and technical areas, while continually gaining deeper expertise.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

I was lucky to be a participant in a great deal of group-based technical and leadership work throughout my college, internship and ITLP years. I also like to solve challenging problems (whether through technical solutions or other means), so both of these experiences really helped prepare me for my current role.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

I can't think of a project more challenging than the GE Healthcare Mobile Toolkit solution due to its depth and breadth across a range of areas. To drive cycle time reduction, operational excellence and service growth for more than 800 GE Healthcare field engineers in China, our team developed a toolkit that contained five mobile applications and a full-scale Web application with GPS capabilities. In addition, we faced challenges, such as remote customer locations, international team management, a 13-hour time difference, and a rigorous compliance process. But it was a great learning experience for both the GE Corporate and GE Healthcare teams; I look forward to continued collaboration with GE Healthcare China's mobile business.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

• Data analysis/mining • Data visualization and graphics design • Software engineering

What are the best aspects of your current job?

The best part of my current role is that I could never get bored. I am challenged with leading a transition from one internal IT support organization to another. This means everything in my work environment - from the technology, processes, tools, and people - can change. I am tasked with collaborating with other IT professionals on a daily basis. There is no shortage of stones to turn over and never a day when you can get too comfortable. There are always challenges and opportunities to learn.

What are the best parts about working at GE?

GE will allow you to determine your destiny, create opportunities for career advancement and excellence and pursue them. I started at GE in the Information Technology Leadership Program (ITLP). This was an instant introduction to what GE offers you. Working through a series of six-month assignments gave me broad exposure to different areas of the business, technologies and functions. During one assignment in Hungary, I developed a sourcing application that would be used in a green-field manufacturing site: a pretty heady opportunity for a fresh college grad. The opportunities didn't end at the conclusion of the ITLP program: they continued and grew in impact and responsibility.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

I was hired into GE out of college, so my previous work experience was limited to a couple of internships. Throughout my time in GE, I have focused on a variety of business challenges, functional areas and technologies. As a result, I have much more breadth than depth within IT. This means that I went into each of my past roles leading teams in which the individuals had more domain expertise than I did. That environment taught me how to value my team, understand how best to motivate and direct them, and how to foster collaborative relationships for optimal results. These roles all helped me to be comfortable in a situation where I was coming in blind, learning how and when to step in and drive things and how to work in uncertain circumstances.

What is the biggest or most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

The project that left the most lasting impression on me was one of the first large programs I led: the initial release of the indirect purchasing system for GE Energy. The goal of the system was to create total visibility to indirect spending and then to reduce total spend through use of negotiated rates. The challenge was in creating an application that met the needs of four different P&Ls, each with unique requirements and ways of doing business. My solution was a flexible, customizable application to accommodate these differences. At the time, I had thought I did something great in providing a flexibility of design that met the individual P&L's needs. It was only after transitioning into a new role did I understand that the flexibility was nice, but from a high-level business standpoint, that flexibility equaled significant maintenance and limited the ability to define simplified global processes. In this case, flexibility did not translate into simplification. I learned that simplification is an important aspect and goal for every application.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

GE is known for having the very best people and with the best people comes a great amount of experience and expertise. Although not technical, the skill that I draw upon most frequently is the ability to develop relationships and collaborate with individuals of varying backgrounds and expertise to produce the best solution, design or decision possible. I never hesitate to reach out to ask for help, ask the clarifying or "stupid" questions, and consult with others.

What were you doing before joining GE?

During my time at Birmingham University, I had 2 part-time jobs. The first was a content developer and a tutoring role for an online education company focused on delivering and teaching core subjects online and face to face to 10-11 year olds. I was also on the event staff for the University by setting up the lighting, sound and graphics for event nights and shows. I had an internship with GE before I joined the Leadership Program, and working for them was so different to all the other jobs I had before. I was exposed to a great variety of people and was given the responsibility to work on projects that really made an impact on the company.

Why did you decide to join GE?

One of my major reasons in joining GE was the size and breadth of the organization. It is split up into different businesses which include Healthcare, Aviation, Energy, Oil and Gas and Financial Services. Having all these businesses made me realize the opportunities, experience and knowledge available within the organization and how they are all working together to keep the company moving forward. In addition, the amount of training and development opportunities within GE is one of a kind, easily demonstrated by the Leadership Programs available; within 9 months of working at GE I have already had the opportunity to attend 5 weeks worth of training abroad as well as additional distance learning online.

What are you working on?

I am currently in my second rotation as an ITLP and I work as the IT Project Manager for the Logistics Team in Global Supply Chain. My project is focused around optimizing and standardizing locations of our warehouses across Europe and the Middle East, this will then allow the business to be able to supply the customers more efficiently as well as reducing the transportation costs. My responsibilities include delivering successful transitions between warehouses involving a variety of ERP systems and ensuring that all infrastructure (networks, servers, desktops) are in place through engagement with multiple teams around the world. This also involves developing a standard process for future transitions and reporting progress to leaders. This role builds on the project management and technical skills developed during training as well as in my first rotation where I designed an infrastructure solution which enabled the storage, access and distribution of clinical trial images globally.

Tell us about your career path to a CFO role.

I've spent most of my career in accounting and controllership. Before I joined GE, I worked in accounting and audit for a number of companies including the Associated Press and the NFL. In 2006, I was hired by GE Capital as an Accounting Manager for the Commercial Real Estate business. I wasn't looking for my next role, but was intrigued by the call from the Real Estate Controller. He sold me on the job opportunity and the prospect of a long term career at GE. In a time span of three years, I was promoted several times and ultimately assumed responsibility for all U.S. based accounting operations for Real Estate's equity investments. I led a 50 person team and oversaw $8 billion+ in assets. While I enjoyed my role in controllership, I wanted to be a division level CFO and recognized that I needed to broaden my experience. In 2009, I moved into an analyst role on GE Capital's financial planning and analysis team. I was responsible for supporting the analysis and reporting of GE Capital's commercial lending and leasing segment - the largest externally reported segment of GE Capital. In other words, not only did I have to understand the full scope of the financials-I had to effectively prepare materials that helped the Capital leadership team convey results to our board of directors and the investment community. This experience accelerated my growth, rounded out my skill set and prepared me for the position I'm in today.

What advice do you have for NABA Members?

Maximize the power of NABA in at least two ways: 1) Build a strong network of peers who will motivate and support you-those who will challenge you to develop. 2) Keep your skills current and take advantage of all of the workshops and development opportunities NABA has to offer. Never stop learning.

What is the best career advice you've ever received?

Own your career. Don't wait for others to provide feedback or make a decision on your next move. Understand your strengths and development needs---and develop a proactive action plan. You won't meet your career objectives unless you face into where your skills are strong and where you need help. Don't be afraid to ask for support and advice along the way.

What were you doing before joining GE?

Before joining GE fulltime, I completed an internship at GE Transportation in Locomotive Control where I learned the basics of materials management and inventory controllership. After finishing my undergraduate work at Cornell University, I completed the Business Bridge Program at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Why did you decide to join GE?

GE's commitment to employee development and its degree of diversification across different industries provide employees unlimited career opportunities. The classroom and on-the-job training at GE set the bar for corporate education.

What are you working on?

Currently I am a Strategic Sourcing Analyst on the Engineered Systems team. I am managing a strategic sourcing project on air compressors to find the lowest possible life cycle cost and to achieve a deflationary pricing scheme. I am also managing the Rationalization & Global Footprint portions of the Supplier Relationship Management Initiative for my team.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

The greatest part of my current job is the huge opportunity and excitement we have to help revolutionize IT Service Management processes across the GE businesses. We have been working since late 2010 to bring a new Service Management platform (ServiceNow) into GE Corporate IT to significantly improve our capabilities, flexibility, and speed to market for IT processes. We hope to be able to offer this platform to the businesses either in partnership with our corporate processes or as a Center of Excellence for running business instances of the ServiceNow platform. It is an exciting time to be in this area of IT.

What are the best parts about working at GE?

The diversity of opportunities to further your career and broaden your skill set. I have held several very different roles within IT infrastructure areas, ranging from data center and facility management to network to compute to applications. Within GE, we are fortunate to be able to make these technology/business and focus group shifts without leaving the comfort of the company. There are few companies in the world that can compete with this ability to give employees such a range of intellectual challenges.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

My current role is focused on delivering a platform for IT to manage IT infrastructure and IT services. In the last nine years, I've held various design roles, operations roles and relationship roles across multiple technology disciplines, so I have been a customer of the platform I'm now supporting and delivering functionality for. That gives me a unique perspective as to how my decisions will impact my customers. What might seem like a good solution on paper to an application developer doesn't necessarily translate to an improved experience for the end users, so truly understanding your customer's perspective is invaluable.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

One of the more challenging projects I've worked on in recent years was the recent compliance remediation efforts across GE Capital. GE Capital is now being regulated by the Office of Thrift Supervision, and with new regulations, a lot of our operating practices need to be revamped for the increased regulatory scrutiny they are receiving. The biggest challenge came in interpreting a complex but immature set of regulations and understanding how to implement controls on an evolving target of requirements. This really challenged my team and I to think creatively and ultimately imagine, research and consider all possible directions that the regulation might go and design a solution that was flexible, scalable and, of course, secure while not adversely impacting the critical operating procedures of the business.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

Problem analysis is a skill that transcends all roles. The ability to drill into areas, have the confidence to ask the tough questions, and deal with uncomfortable answers is critical for any leader to truly be successful. I've also always been a bit of a techno geek, so I like to understand the technology I'm supporting and spend a significant portion of my time making sure I truly understand the core components of any platform we bring in. That deeper dive has given me a significant base of technical skills to draw upon, ranging from power infrastructure through detailed networking routing up through the compute tech stack to database tuning, application development principles, and user interface design. Those two areas coupled with strong relationship management and leadership abilities make up the skills I constantly draw upon in my roles.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

The people I work with are my favorite part of my current job. On the business side of my role, Renewable Energy is a relatively new GE business with a great set of eclectic people who have been with GE for a long time and others who have just joined GE. This mix brings a fascinating combination of excitement and speed of execution balanced with rigor and data-based evaluation. I enjoy coming to the table with a diverse set of business leaders to help solve some of the biggest business issues and bringing ideas that can help drive profitability. The ITLP side of my role keeps me in touch with the most recent members of the IT talent pipeline and up to date with the latest generation's style. I love that I get to experience GE through the fresh eyes of each ITLP, intern and candidate I come into contact with. This also allows me to coach and mentor new employees by sharing my lessons learned to help guide their careers.

What are the best things about working at GE?

The people are absolutely the best thing about working at GE. There are so many smart, motivated and energetic people whom I can learn from and partner with.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

ITLP brought me a wide range of experiences to prepare me for my current role as well as, I'm sure, for many in the future. I was lucky enough to do four different six-month assignments in four different businesses within GE Energy in four different locations. Diverse assignments allowed me to broaden my expertise areas immediately upon completion of college. The scope of my rotations ranged from technical database analysis to IT compliance to managing enterprise system rollouts to building an end-customer facing shopping cart application. Also, the coaching and guidance I received from leadership teams at each of the businesses still shapes my daily work today. Add to that the life-shaping experience of relocating across the world, and I have ended up with a great basis upon which to build a successful IT career.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

The biggest initiative in which I had a significant scope of ownership was in GE Energy Services. The Parts ERP for that business is one of the most customized and has one of the highest transaction-volume Oracle ERP instances in the world. During a project to perform a major version upgrade on this instance, I had ownership of ensuring seamless functionality delivery for the financial modules of Oracle as well as overall ownership for the entire upgrade's cutover/go-live activities. The project had a dedicated team of nearly 20 GE employees (and involved nearly 100 other non-GE or part-time participants), a project budget of approximately $3 million, and required five full days of business outage to conduct the full cutover.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

The majority of my career has involved Oracle ERP program delivery. I have developed depth in the ability to effectively partner with business contacts and technical counterparts to ensure timely and high-quality delivery of enterprise systems for a variety of functional areas, such as: finance, distribution and field services, among others. I utilize my technical problem-solving skills developed when I was a computer programmer to ensure all issues identified in programs are resolved in a logical, complete and timely fashion. I bring that logical debugging strategy not only to technical issues but also to process and communication issues, all of which are prevalent in major enterprise programs.

What were you doing before joining GE?

I started my career out of college at Arthur Andersen & Co. (CPA's), then went to a medium-sized manufacturing firm as its assistant controller, then to GE in 1993.

Why did you decide to join GE?

Large company with lots of resources to develop my career and lots of opportunities for growth (both within the financial area that I started in at GE and outside of it - i.e., I've been in Quality for the past 9 years).

What are you working on?

Projects to improve productivity, customer responsiveness, currently working on regulatory projects with the 'new' environment for financial service companies like GE Capital.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

I'm currently located in Paris, France, supporting a startup initiative to develop a modern urban transit and passenger rail solution. It's hard to top being part of such an exciting initiative in a great city like Paris!

What are the best parts about working at GE?

In a single word: "diversity." Diversity in all areas, including industries, locations and people, with their unique backgrounds and perspectives.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

I'll start by saying that if you feel like you're fully prepared for a role, it's probably not a big enough stretch. One thing you can expect in GE is change, which is often difficult to prepare for. It's remarkable that a company of our size con constantly reinvent itself the way we do. But if you build up enough experience in managing, or even creating positive change, you'll succeed.

What is the biggest or most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

Replacing our global intranet portal with new technology, infrastructure, and a content management system. The challenge was to coordinate activities globally across every GE business for a site used by 500,000 people. It was a great opportunity to learn the communication needs of the company and deliver a platform that continues to be used several years later.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

I had an internship in which I needed to learn how to write in a UNIX scripting language - something I wasn't initially excited about and I'll likely never draw on again. But it taught me a lot about how to quickly and creatively learn something new and deliver a usable solution.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

Playing with new technology! One of the best - and sometimes most challenging - aspects of my job is being presented with a business problem and finding ways to solve it. While technology is not an automatic "go-to answer" for problems, it is obviously a common component of many business solutions. I love being able to dig into a technology, to understand all its facets (especially how different vendors take different approaches to meeting customer needs), and work to morph that into a world-class solution for the GE environment.

What are the best parts about working at GE?

The continually changing environment. GE is such a global and diverse company, there's always something new to do, someone new to talk to, or a new problem to solve. I find it incredibly energizing to be in an environment where you can be working in one vertical at a given time, and just a few months later be working on something completely unrelated. It's also interesting to have contacts across the world and learn about different cultures, lifestyles and perceptions.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

An important component of my background that I believe has shaped my current role is my business concentration in college. I feel this focus has given me the ability to really understand and digest business problems. In IT, we often have to take technical solutions and turn them into non-technical business acumen. A solid business background has helped me to bridge these gaps and drive cohesion across teams and customers I interact with. Additionally, being a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), my "other life", has given me the experience to act quickly under pressure and understand the importance of clear thinking, imagination, and looking at the big picture to drive resolution.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

Coordinating efforts for the GIS Virtual Desktop Initiative (VDI). Working against an incredibly tight timeline, we had to create a team of experts in a subject area new to the Company. In addition, we had to introduce new technology solutions and fully operationalize them in just a few short weeks. This project taught me the importance of quickly forming a team, understanding what needs to be done, and doing anything in your power to make that happen - even if it means doing work outside your given field to help out.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

Being able to sit down and write code! While it's not something I'd envision doing on a day-to-day basis, I feel it gives me a solid technical backing to understand the intricacies of application development. I still enjoy taking on side projects to keep my skills sharp and stay involved in the technology community. These skills have helped hone my problem-solving abilities and clear thinking.

What were you doing before joining GE?

Prior to joining GE I was studying for my Masters of Business Administration in New York. I had been a Recruiter for a large international recruiting agency and found myself intrigued by the way businesses make decisions, and how those decisions play out at the employee level while also aligning with strategic direction.

Why did you decide to join GE?

It is tough to be on a university campus in the US and not hear about great opportunities at GE. Leadership development, cutting edge business practices and the chance to work with brilliant colleagues attracted me the most. During my interviews, I also felt a real connection with the people I was going to be working with; they truly enjoy coming to work every day.

What are you working on?

I am currently in my second of three rotations in the Human Resources Leadership Program. I am focused within the “C&B Track“ which is designed to guide me towards a career in Compensation, Benefits and Health Care. Some of the most interesting projects I have taken on involve salary planning, helping the rest of HR organize their divisional job structures, and some cross-functional projects. Getting to understand the operating rhythm of one of the world’s largest companies is an eye-opening lesson every day.

What were you doing before joining GE?

My first experience with GE was after undergrad. I did a summer internship in the Energy Systems Lab at the Research Center, where I investigated strategies for CO2 capture. Next, after going to graduate school for my Master's degree, I returned to GRC, joining the Edison Engineering Development Program (EEDP), and this is where I am currently.

What are you working on?

For the past year, I have been working on thin film cadmium telluride solar cells -- particularly using wet chemistry approaches to fabricate and characterize the semiconductor layers used in these devices. That is, we've been trying to develop and understand ways of enhancing solar cell performance. With over 80 scientists across several organizations and countries, this is one of the largest projects at the research center. It's given me great insight into how to work with a highly multidisciplinary team to push the boundaries of what we know in this field. In my next rotation, I'll be working on energy storage technologies.

Why were you interested in the Edison program?

In grad school, I was contemplating my next step. I knew I was interested in energy and enjoyed my experience with fuel cells. However, there were many different avenues in the field that I hadn't had the opportunity to pursue in greater depth - areas such as solar cells and batteries. I believed that the Edison program provided a great opportunity for me to explore and possibly grow into these different areas, and also allow me to identify other areas that I might not have thought of before.

Why did you choose to join GE?

Firstly, the breadth of GE's technology portfolio is incredible. Especially at the research center, you see everything from solar cells, to MRI machines, to wind turbines, to facial recognition software. On top of that, there is a great community. Not only do we have some of the world's top experts, but you can easily just walk into any of their offices. Accordingly, it's a very conducive environment for learning and collaboration. Furthermore, GE has tremendous reach internationally, being one of the largest and most diverse companies in the world. This means that the technology you develop has great potential to impact the lives of people around the globe.

What do you like about the Edison program?

Having the desire to explore different technical areas, I was really drawn to the rotational element. All Edisons at GRC get to move to different labs and projects every 6-12 months. So, in a relatively short period of time, one gets a fairly expansive view of different technologies. In addition, the program offers many forms of technical and leadership training which could definitely help to accelerate my career.

What were you doing before joining GE?

I was attending Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA, pursuing my engineering degree. The summer before my senior year I interned in Schenectady and worked with the Wind Configuration Management team. Towards the end of my internship I applied for the Operations Management Leadership Program (OMLP). I was accepted and started my GE career the following summer.

Why did you decide to join GE?

I decided to join GE because it is a large, multinational company with excellent leadership programs, its diversity of products, and numerous career opportunities.

What are you working on now?

Currently, I'm working on a global team to research and create innovative and sustainable strategies on how we attract, develop, and inspire GE employees in the 21st century. Our Chairman has been in his position for 10 years and out of Session C they wanted to be proactive about how we operate over the next 10 years. When this project is complete, I will be transitioning to a new position as an MRP/buyer for our gas turbine plant in Greenville, South Carolina.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

My fourth ITLP rotation has been in Healthcare Systems (HCS) focusing on Acquisition Integrations and Business Development. This has given me a new perspective on GE Healthcare's inorganic growth and how we embrace and onboard new employees. I've enjoyed learning more about how we create deal strategies as well as understanding the importance of IT within those synergies.

What are the best things about working at GE?

I love coming to work and being energized by the people around me. We work in a culture full of smart, motivated individuals, and being surrounded by this team inspires me to push myself on a daily basis. Another quality that I appreciate about working at GE is the ability to interact and work with people across the globe. Having the opportunity to work with such a diverse group of colleagues has taught me so much, not only about how the business world can differ by location, but it has also encouraged some introspective thought on my own work and leadership style.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

Prior to working for GE, I spent eight months in an engineering co-op with Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Between my role in that organization as a Continuous Improvement Engineer and my undergraduate education in Industrial Engineering, I have grown my understanding of processes and Lean principles tremendously. This background, paired with my experiences in ITLP training (Boot camps plus Foundations of Leadership) has led me to have a different perspective on IT and how it ties into the business.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

I was recently taken out of my ITLP rotation to focus on an initiative stemming from the Session C wrap-up with the Chairman. I'm part of a group of 21 cross-business, cross-functional, global team members tasked with spending the next several months focusing exclusively on how we attract, develop and retain top talent at GE. A large portion of this project involves looking closely at our growth/emerging markets to understand what specific initiatives will be most effective given the environment, culture and education system. It has been a tremendous learning experience, and the support we have from our stakeholders is unparalleled. We will be pitching to the Chairman and CEC early this fall and hope that our recommendations will help drive innovation as we see shifts in generations entering the workplace, as well as major changes in how we leverage technology.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

I would say that the top technical skill I draw on in my job is somewhat non-traditional. While a technical skill set is a powerful tool to have, I notice that the ability to communicate and translate between technical and non-technical team members is also critical to project success. Having this bridge in communication means greater opportunity to leverage strengths and learn from one another. It isn't always about knowing everything, as much as it is about knowing who to reach out to and how you can apply their expertise.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

The people. The operations organization covers everything from build to run, including processes, conformance and development of standards and business consultancy. This means the team has a huge range of skills and talent, across cultures, making every one different and every interaction a unique experience.

What are the best things about working at GE?

The culture, values and opportunities. GE embraces change, empowers people to be creative, and has a culture of self and team development. As individuals, we can take risks and make a difference.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

My GE career has provided me with IT leadership positions within P&Ls as well as leadership positions within shared services teams. The pressures of identifying solutions to business problems, as well as developing standard processes across shared services, has allowed me a great perspective and has given me the ability to understand how to balance the need for common processes and standards, while still providing enough flexibility to meet business demands.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

Recently, we created the global run organizations in GIS (combining the traditional service teams) and created the regional operations organization, combining build and run within the EMEA region. Defining the organization and ensuring the teams and individuals understood and embraced the vision was a great opportunity and has provided myself and other teams members with the opportunity for growth and development.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

I have been fortunate enough to be trained in Six Sigma, LEAN, Trotter and ITIL, so I have a strong quality and process background and have an ability to look at data and understand underlying issues from different perspectives.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

I lead the EMEA IT organization, and my focus is on enabling a sustainable business transformation for GE Lighting. This includes providing strategic decisions that impact the entire business: how we go to market, the selling model, a renewed product portfolio, and the way we deliver solutions and products in an increasingly regulated environment. Working directly and closely with the global IT leadership team and the EMEA business leaders gives me significant insight into the challenges our global business and IT organization faces operationally, tactically and strategically. This requires continuous learning, critical thinking, and the ability to engage people to be able to respond to these challenges in an effective way.

What are the best parts about working at GE?

The diversity of people and talents. I like to meet and work with people from different cultures and countries and to meet people with unique backgrounds and experiences. This diversity provides me with frequent opportunities for personal and professional growth.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

My career has been built through continuous learning. My role as an ITLP gave me many opportunities to understand what GE is, how GE works, and how to navigate within this complex, dynamic organization. Being in an IT operations leadership role helped me embrace an operational mindset and get first-hand experience in challenging situations while having significant budgetary responsibility. Later, I moved to a global leadership role in infrastructure where I had both clients and direct reports in three poles. This was a fantastic learning opportunity around cultural differences, people and performance management, virtual working environments and time management. Leading the Commercial IT organization for Consumer & Industrial EMEA helped me improve client management skills and further develop my ability to manage employees spread across nine countries in Europe and India. More recently, I got the chance to complete an assignment in the U.S., which, besides giving me the opportunity to lead a global organization, contributed to my constant learning in cultural awareness and influencing skills. I truly believe each of the above experiences contributed to developing my skill sets and provides a strong base for me to be successful in my current and future roles.

What is biggest or the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

One example that comes to mind is a Business Objects upgrade where we underestimated the risk of being the first in the market to embrace a new version, which subsequently required continuous 24/7 support just post go-live. This provided important learning for the future. Another project was when we upgraded an old SAP R2 system to a new R3 version. This three-year project required the re-engineering and reimplementation of a significant amount of processes on SAP and surrounding systems. This was a fantastic experience on how to create successful business processes and manage change through an entire business.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

Technical awareness and hands-on experience are critical when setting and executing an IT strategy. The most significant technical learning curve for me occurred when I had the technical lead role for Lighting EMEA IT operations for SAP and Business Intelligence. This opportunity came early in my career and gave me invaluable insight into technical challenges from day-to-day operations up to complete system upgrades. I continuously build upon this experience when defining reliability, simplification or collaboration strategies, also when designing and measuring the technical career path within my organization.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

The systems managed by my team and by our shared service partners, such as GAMS, TSG and GIS, enable the business to capture $4 billion in operational profit a year. At the same time, my team can have a definite positive impact on the user experience of our roughly 6,000 employees by providing them with highly available well-performing systems.

What are the best things about working at GE?

GE is a future-oriented company in many very exciting business domains, and it has a very high level of integrity. It also offers a great deal of professional learning opportunities - we have everything at GE; it's simply a matter of looking for it. And it gives me the opportunity to work with a humble, helpful and knowledgeable team of colleagues.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

I've not only worked in various IT functions - from an ITLP through ERP expert, program manager, CIO and PMO - but have also spent years in other functions, such as Sales, Marketing and HR, to truly understand the perspective of our users. I also worked in Asia (Sri Lanka), Eastern Europe (Ukraine, Czech) and UK (London) outside of my home country (Hungary), which enabled me to more easily approach the diverse culture and matrix teams of GE.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

I've been asked to oversee how we can improve our IT project delivery cycle time by 20 percent over two years... and the Energy Service team eventually did it! After we understood our baseline, we attacked the problem with a good set of orchestrated initiatives around improving First Time Right to reduce variance to plan, leaning and automating processes to improve entitlement and looking for new game changers, such as Agile and SaaS (Software as a Service).

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

I rely on my ability to translate strategy into action and the ability to navigate end-to-end through complex IT architectures (from the clients through Networks, database, applications to high-end SUN servers) to deliver the optimal solution for our business.

What were you doing before joining GE?

Business Administrator - Franchised car dealership.

Why did you decide to join GE?

Reputation of the business and the opportunity for career development.

What are you working on?

Restructuring the branch network footprint to represent current needs of the business.

What were you doing before joining GE?

During my time at Brunel University I undertook a one year internship with Warner Bros Entertainment. It was truly an unforgettable experience to be working in the heart of London for such a reputable company at a young age. The experiences I gained at Warner Bros aided me not only in succeeding in my final year of University, but also in enabling my leap to join the Information Technology Leadership Program with GE.

Why did you decide to join GE?

While undertaking my Internship I often collaborated with NBC Universal - a child company of GE. It is through this I first heard of the Information Technology Leadership Program. After learning more about ITLP from a pitch given at my University and comparing it with graduate schemes offered by other businesses, GE's ITLP looked like the best programme out there! I can tell you - it certainly doesn't disappoint. The amount of training and responsibility given on ITLP can't be fathomed until you experience it for yourself. GE is an enormous company spanning a great range of fields; from Healthcare to Aviation, from Media to Oil & Gas. The opportunities within GE seem endless.

What are you working on?

I'm currently in my second ITLP rotation where I am the Project Manager for the Network Self Services Portal (NSSP); a tool which will provide us with easy access to our network's global performance, availability and capacity metrics. I am responsible for a team of 5 Java developers to bring this highly sought information to fruition in an informative, user friendly interface. This information will prove vital to CIO teams when making IT business decisions.

What were you doing before joining GE?

I joined GE as my first job after graduation. Prior to this I had an internship at Intel.

Why did you decide to join GE?

When I was struggling on how to setup career development plan as a fresh postgraduate, I was attracted to GE's reputation as a diversified business with a solid product portfolio. My primary objective was to position my career more strongly before making a long-term commitment. The rotation and training opportunities provided by the Edison Engineering Development Program at GE Healthcare was the right platform to do that.

What are you working on?

I am currently on my third rotation at the GE Global Research Center, Shanghai. My team is driving an advanced technology project, working with global engineers at Milwaukee, Hino and Beijing. The purpose of the project is to provide customers with improved quality and lower cost MRI products through technology breakthroughs. Currently we have delivered an exciting prototype and have been traveling worldwide to conduct image quality testing. My role in the team is to focus on the subsystem hardware design, plus packaging of mechanical support and test operations. This is my last rotation, and I will be back to Beijing and join a Healthcare engineering team after it.

Why did you decide to join GE?

I joined GE because I knew it would open up a field of opportunities for me. The Communications Leadership Development Program (CLDP) sold me on the opportunity of exploring different areas of communications: public relations, employee communications and marketing communications. That, coupled with the wide variety of GE business, made me feel like I could do almost anything here: go wide, go deep, live in different places, work in different businesses, learn from different people, change the world. I came to GE to develop the skills needed to be the best that I can be.

What are you working on?

I am currently in integrated marketing communications role at GE Environmental Services for my final CLDP rotation. Specifically, I manage communications programs for event, our waterproof fabrics product line. I help lead efforts around trade shows, public relations, product launches, digital marketing, brochures and other collateral.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

I lead the Services Engineering IT organization, where we are responsible for identifying, implementing and supporting advanced engineering information technology solutions. Working directly in a function that is responsible for creating and designing innovative energy solutions to grow our software and services business is exciting, because it requires continuous learning about mechanical, electrical and software technology in the energy sector.

What are the best things about working at GE?

Simply put, you're constantly learning. This is an environment that fosters, cultivates and supports learning at all levels. Embrace it.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

I started my role in GE as a member of the Information Technology Leadership Program (ITLP), which helped me understand the importance of applying adaptive and continuous learning, passion and leadership skills in a fast-paced environment. Additionally, the program exposed me to a wide network of GE IT professionals, who are great sources of information and knowledge. After program, I took a role as a Six Sigma Black Belt supporting the Energy Services IM headquarters function. This was a great opportunity to gain insights into core software development processes, including program management, requirements management, software quality assurance and configuration management. This role prepared me for subsequent roles in program management focused on both custom software development and software package implementation, such as Oracle ERPs. My responsibilities increased over time with team leadership roles, exposing me to strategic thinking, global initiatives, people development, and enablement of broader business objectives.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

In 2003, I worked in Energy's contractual services division, where I was responsible for leading the implementation of a new modeling platform for long-term service agreements. This program was fairly complex, as it incorporated a series of simulation and statistical logic to derive financial projections based on product engineering and operating inputs. Management of this program required an ability to go "deep" - learn statistical modeling techniques and product engineering rules - while operating in a tough team environment.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

I take more pride in my ability to learn new technologies rather than possession of a particular technical skill set. Being an avid reader and researcher of technology, I try to utilize this ability every chance I get. It helps me to stay current.

What were you doing before joining GE?

Before joining GE, I was a research assistant in the Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) program at Georgia Tech. My research was funded through GE Energy's Smart Grid Challenge, which was a competition to develop near term (5-10 year) solutions on how to improve the reliability of power distribution.

Why did you decide to join GE?

I joined GE because of the company's strong dedication to career and technical growth. GE offers a wide range of learning opportunities and is filled with people who continually push themselves to expand their core areas of expertise.

What are you working on?

I am part of the Prognostics & Health Monitoring (PHM) development team for the F136 engine. My work focuses on developing software that will allow the aircraft to predict engine component failures before they occur. These PHM technologies make the engine more reliable and the maintenance less expensive.

What were you doing before joining GE?

Before joining ITLP I was a full-time student. As part of my degree, I completed a one year industrial placement with GE Capital EMEA Fleet Services as an IT Intern. My placement was my first experience of working in an IT organization, and gave me great exposure to project management, the importance of the IT function within GE and how to work effectively with a Pan-European team.

Why did you decide to join GE?

The diversity within GE was a huge draw for me. Not only does GE have multiple businesses across several industries, the diverse mix of countries and cultures of GE employees means I am constantly learning from others. Once I started my internship, I was impressed with the level of training leadership program members benefit from, and this was a factor in my decision to apply for ITLP. Once on ITLP, I have the opportunity to experience 4 different roles within 2 years, meaning I get exposure to different areas of the IT organization.

What are you working on?

In my second rotation I am redesigning the supporting infrastructure for our desk side IT support services, as the services are migrated to a new tool. This role balances exposure to project management and technical knowledge, as an understanding of the technical capabilities of our IT support tools is needed to translate back into understandable business requirements.

What were you doing before joining GE?

Prior to GE I was working as an Area Sales Manager. I joined GE in early 2007. Since then, every single day has been a great experience. My background and studies have helped me to get into the GE Water commercial team.

Why did you decide to join GE?

I always wanted to work with an organization that is most admired for its leadership and core values. The most fascinating thing about working in GE is that it offers a broad spectrum of opportunities across the globe. GE transforms you into a business leader by giving you the opportunity to work with diverse range of business and great leaders. In these 2.7 years I was able to experience different roles with high responsibilities coached by great leaders in the organization.

What are you working on now?

I am part of the commercial team working as a Sales Account Manager. In this role, I am responsible for driving growth and generating new accounts and to develop new and maintain current positions with key accounts. I work closely with the leadership to direct the efforts of cross-functional Customer Focus Teams in support of product and sales strategies to ensure the effective management of key accounts.

Why did you decide to join GE?

Unlike other companies, the diversity of businesses and areas of expertise in GE allows communicators like myself to develop a strong career inside the company. GE understands the importance of strategic communications as part of its business plan. GE is part of everything and it's everywhere; being part of something this big has always been one of my biggest motivations.

What are you working on?

I'm working on a communications strategy with an objective to efficiently impact the +28 manufacturing sites GE has in Mexico, uniformly integrating GE's corporate and industrial cultures throughout the country. The main challenge is to demonstrate the benefit of a strategic communications plan, by having better and more efficient communication channels that can help improve production processes, positively impacting the revenues and engaging employees across the company.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

As an ITLP, I have spent the last two years rotating to different assignments across the country, different teams and organizations, and different fields of technology. I have also grown professionally over the 12-plus weeks of training (including an exciting month in Shanghai, China!). For a recent college graduate new to GE and the workforce, these are incomparable opportunities. I have gained breadth and depth in a variety of technical disciplines and business functions; I have also built a network of vibrant and innovative peers from different cultural and educational backgrounds.

What are the best things about working at GE?

I have found that there are many diverse opportunities available so long as you are willing to take advantage of them. Whether it is a desire to learn about a technical area, to build a network of peers, to volunteer in the community, or to work in a particular industry... GE offers it. I can visit Crotonville, join an affiliate group, or get in touch with the Volunteer Council; there is no shortage of projects or groups with which to stay busy and engaged. I am also frequently surprised by how often I cross paths with a colleague from a previous role. For such an enormous company, there is a "small world" feel to GE that is both refreshing and helpful in finding the answer or process to solve a problem.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

Each of my ITLP rotations has given me a different flavor of IT and GE and a different lesson to take forward in my next endeavor. I have selected roles that were quite varied and experienced something new every six months, which has allowed me to look at the IT processes in GE Energy with a more holistic view. The rotations have also given me a large network and foundation of experiences to reference.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

One of the most challenging projects I worked on at GE was the deployment of the Oracle Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) module in the GEH Nuclear business. At the time, I did not have any experience with ERP, the nuclear industry, or any type of shop floor operations. One of the most challenging elements for me was to gain the trust of our key stakeholders. Most of them had been in their jobs for some time; they had a wealth of experience in the processes we were enhancing and had already felt the challenges associated with the change a new system brings to the environment. Needless to say, I had to go deep quickly in the technology and the processes they followed in order to convince them that I could deliver a tool that met their needs.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

I have a background in programming. I don't typically write code in my roles with GE (although I admit I have found a few opportunities to put this skill to use to calculate a result or to enhance a Support Central tool). However, even if I do not directly type into a console throughout my day, many of the soft skills I developed as a programmer are vital to my work in GE. The ability to think clearly through a complicated problem by looking at it from different angles and then logically determine a simple solution is of paramount importance in any project. Other skills developed include attention to detail (anyone who has missed a semi-colon at the end of a line of code can relate to this), conceptualizing how data is used and related to other data, and planning steps in advance before jumping into action.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

Every day I learn something new! Whether I am learning about a new GE business or learning about Oracle software, I am constantly learning.

What are the best parts about working at GE?

When I joined GE, I was looking for a technical career, not just a job. I wanted to join a top-notch company that would provide me the opportunity to expand my Oracle and database knowledge, as well as offer continuous learning and development. At GE, I've been able to achieve those goals through a variety of roles.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

I worked at Oracle Corporation for five years and Deloitte & Touche for three years. The fast-paced environments at those two companies helped me adapt to the fast-paced environment at GE!

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

In 2006, on the Energy Services Parts project, the IM project team was under a tight timeline. We also faced many problems, including a large number of bugs in the purchased software. The team managed to close out all the issues before the software went live and deliver for the business. It was a lot of work, but one of the best projects on which I have participated.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

Oracle e-Business Suite skills, which I use every single day. Not only do I take pride in these skills, but GE appreciates that I have these skills.

What were you doing before joining GE?

During my undergraduate career, I interned two summers with an Industrial gas company, and spent another summer with a natural gas transmission company. I started my career with GE promptly after graduation.

Why did you decide to join GE?

I originally joined the Engineering Development Program of GE O&G Drilling and Production Systems (Vetco Gray), knowing that this wasn't only an opportunity to work for an industry leader, but to also develop a clear understanding of the company-technically and operationally.

What are you working on now?

As part of my final Edison Rotation, I am a Design Engineer for the Subsea Production Systems group of GE O&G DPS. This group designs subsea trees which are flow-control components of submarine networks used to transport oil and gas from the wells (sea-floor) to platforms or barges.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

The best aspect of my role is its global nature, offering visibility into all GE businesses. I have a unique opportunity to identify and share best practices across the Company, helping solve complex problems at a regional or country level. I must say that there couldn't a better time to be part of the IT Risk organization - not only are we working on key priorities for the Company, but we also are growing rapidly.

What are the best parts about working at GE?

First - GE's culture of integrity. Second - the Company's commitment to employee development and growth. With the EMS process, growth values and leadership programs, GE has a unique model. It's a truly open environment to enable everyone to succeed and perform at their best.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

I decided early in my career to build expertise in compliance and controllership and get insight into various GE businesses. Joining GE's Corporate Audit Staff (CAS) allowed me not only to do that, but also to work closely with multiple functions outside of IT. CAS develops us as leaders to rapidly connect to a large group of stakeholders, analyze and adapt to evolving situations.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

My current role is definitely the most challenging I have faced. We are building a ton of momentum across the Company to educate employees, strengthen processes and controls, and at the same adapt to local needs and keep up with new technologies. The challenge lies in pushing all these initiatives forward.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

The ability to learn new areas rapidly in order to understand and resolve complex cross-functional problems. I drew upon this skill when I was part of CAS to acquire the required knowledge on complex financial accounting standards and regulatory requirements. Today, I do the same with respect to software licensing to ensure that we are compliant with contractual terms and agreements as well as local and regulatory requirements.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

I love the visibility that my job gives me into what is happening in the business. Not just within Communications, Sales and Marketing, but across all of the Energy business segments. A few months ago, Energy's commercial leader met with the CEO of a strategy firm called Undercurrent. This CEO highlighted a study that demonstrated how individuals who were exposed to multiple functional areas, people and processes were optimally positioned to highlight opportunities for synergy. That's a great example of what I love about my job. I love that my role gives me that exposure and provides me the opportunity to build partnerships and connect similar business needs to drive cross-functional/P&L solutions.

What are the best parts about working at GE?

From sustainable water solutions to more efficient and reliable power generation offerings, it's exciting to see how our company contributes to improving the living standards of many across the world. Working with the business to strategize and execute on initiatives is personally fulfilling, but connecting our individual contributions to GE's global impact is energizing.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

As with many IT roles and projects, my business stakeholders span multiple functional and P&L boundaries and often have competing requirements and priorities. I've learned that to create sustainable global IT solutions, it's important to streamline business processes as much as possible in order to simplify support activities, upgrades, changes to the organization, etc. Getting stakeholders to see beyond the "as-is" and into agreement on what "could be" is an art that draws upon domain knowledge, co-worker relationships, and effective influencing and facilitation skills... it's an art that I'm constantly striving to improve!

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

Keeping the customer experience front and center when designing solutions ... though this is not always considered a technical skill, I find it critical to formally document and plan for an intuitive, holistic user experience. I've learned this from previous projects where customers encounter confusing interactions in an otherwise robust solution, become frustrated, and, therefore, do not return.

What were you doing before joining GE?

I was a Computing Innovation Fellow in the Augmented Social Cognition group at the Palo Alto Research Center. I studied how people use their social networks to fulfill their information needs. Before that, my PhD dissertation focused on how groups make sense of information during collaborative information seeking activities in two domains - Web search and healthcare. During my PhD. program, I had the opportunity to intern twice at Microsoft Research in Redmond, WA in their HCI groups.

Why did you decide to join GE?

I was excited by the opportunity to apply my research on collaboration to real products and complex problems in software, collaboration, human-computer interaction and user experience.

What are you working on?

I'm exploring how collaboration and social technologies can be leveraged by GE to support collaborations both among groups within the company as well as for GE's customers.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

I love the opportunity to be directly involved in product development and owning a portion of the product suite that will be used directly by consumers.

What are the best things about working at GE?

GE hires some of the best and brightest people in the world. The fact that I can interact with such a talent pool keeps me challenged individually and makes me know I can tackle the toughest of problems to make our business better.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

My years in infrastructure grounded me on what enterprise architecture truly is. As we develop products that will need to sit within the IT infrastructure, having that perspective allows me to ensure we are creating sound solutions. My year spent helping marketing and our consumer experience program provided me the proper consumer perspective needed to help balance the pull between consumer needs and enterprise requirements.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

Implementing an enterprise architecture process for GE Appliances & Lighting has been one of my most difficult projects because of the massive culture change needed to make it successful. Instead of pushing such a change from the top, we decided to grow the culture organically by providing an open communication environment so people could see the value of the enterprise level discussions and structure and then actively participate rather than being told to participate. This approach has taken a lot of time and effort to ensure momentum is maintained and sustained. We are well into our journey, but have not made it part of our everyday life yet.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

The skills and experiences I take pride in and use indirectly today are the "street cred" skills I gained when I was early in my career. Coding, process development, being on-call, learning right and wrong, and having the scars to prove it in a number of technologies are the skills that I think prepared me to lead and think bigger picture with more validity. Having to do the grunt work on some of my own implementations allows for me to architect and strategic plan better, because I know what impacts certain decisions can have on the day-to-day efforts of those implementing and supporting the systems I work with today.

What were you doing before joining GE?

Prior to joining GE, as part of my degree, I completed a twelve month Internship with the Royal Bank of Scotland. After graduating from University I joined a small independent company and began training as a mortgage advisor. Having achieved the first stages of my Certificate for Financial Advisors and Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice I decided to change career paths in light of the economic downturn.

Why did you decide to join GE?

I had some knowledge of GE before joining the company; however had not fully appreciated the huge diversity and vast global presence of GE. These aspects, along with a strong ethos of meritocracy, became very apparent to me in my initial interview. GE offered enormously promising career prospects and made an offer I could not refuse. My initial impressions were rewarded when, after two years working in the commercial business, I was approached to join one of GE's leadership programs, the ITLP. This was a fantastic opportunity that I seized with both hands, and since joining have never looked back.

What are you working on?

I am currently working in the UK platform for the Business Intelligence team, primarily focusing on the equipment finance sector of the Capital business. My role is as project manager working on the wing to wing implementation of a reporting dashboard for the UK leasing business. The dashboard will provide automated, real time, performance information on all UK leasing vendors, Information that is vital to drive a continuous process improvement culture, commercial excellence, and to optimise our financial performance. This role provides me with opportunities to put into practice a number of the skills I have developed and knowledge gained from my training so far. As PM I have the responsibility of driving the project through the complete project life cycle touching all five tollgates. Encompassed in this I am tackling the build aspect of the project and stretching my technical expertise, vital for any successful ITLP.

What were you doing before joining GE?

I worked three years as a PhD student and research engineer for Snecma, SAFRAN Group. I was in charge of designing a passive control system to dampen vibration and flutter phenomena on Fan and blisk blades thanks to piezoelectric elements.

Why did you decide to join GE?

I am highly interested in high-technology research and GE is one of these companies, which invest massively on Research and Development programs. Moreover GE is a international company, which valorizes technical career path.

What are you working on?

I am currently doing my third rotation of the EEDP program in the Global Research Center of Munich in Germany. My project consists on evaluating the performance by CFD of the aerodynamic design of centrifugal compressor, which presents high pressure ratios and improves operational mass flow range by flow control.

What are the best aspects of your current job?

My team is in the unique situation of building Digital Media, which Wikipedia defines as "creative convergence of digital arts, science, technology and business for human expression, communication, social interaction and education." There is always something new to try, and I am always challenged to either build or use a tool or code to create a specific user experience. What I enjoy most, beyond the complexity of any particular system, is being able to quickly produce the wants of our marketing and communication clients. My current role challenges me every day and provides me with opportunities to learn about new technologies.

What are the best things about working at GE?

I was initially attracted to GE through the ITLP program, because it was going to be an extension of my college career and would help me to take the next step in shaping my technical career as well as provide me with an opportunity to learn about GE. As an employee, GE continuously gives me an opportunity to learn by not only providing interesting and inspiring projects, but also by offering a training plan that allows me to challenge myself. A large company like GE gives their employees the ability to create their career path and allows them to move between businesses or even functions, which allows for personal organic growth.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

Before I became the team lead of External Digital Technologies, I was a project manager for the group. After ITLP, I had been working within end-user computing, primarily on process improvement, and I felt that I needed a much more technical role before becoming a lead. I felt that working for the Digital Media team would allow me to gain more depth and stay up to date by working on a wide variety of technologies. Since I worked for this group previously, I already strongly value my team members and have a clear understanding of the daily challenges presented to us.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

The most challenging project that I have worked on at GE was a datacenter migration for all of our external websites (more than 200) to upgraded servers within a new datacenter. This was a very challenging project, because I did not consider myself to be an infrastructure expert at the time. This project not only required that I manage stakeholder expectations, a timeline, budget and project team but also that I train myself to answer the tough questions. Pushing myself, along with my team, to learn the technical details allowed us to make key timeline decisions and keep us within scope on a schedule that changed daily. Because of our clear planning and testing, we had few issues, and now our current team depends daily on our ability to quickly and efficiently use our newly organized environment.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

My college curriculum was centered on problem-based learning, and that instilled in me the importance of problem solving. I feel that I have carried that skill throughout my career, because technology will always grow and change, and our job is to quickly apply our knowledge base to make decisions or solve issues. Each day, I feel that my team and I are challenged with new requirements and deadlines, and our ability to break down those requirements and quickly provide solutions makes us a stronger team for our clients.

Why did you decide to join GE?

GE has a great reputation of giving recent graduates unparalleled opportunities to start and build their careers. With such a diverse set of global businesses in which to work and such a development-focused culture in which to grow, GE seemed the perfect place to learn, to grow, to pursue new ideas and to work on projects that actually make a difference in the world.

What are you working on?

I recently joined the marketing/communications team for GE Capital Real Estate in Paris. Currently, communications are run on an ad hoc basis in the business. To vie for increased market share in an already competitive real estate marketplace, I am working with the team on taking a more proactive stance on building branding and communications in the key European Markets. This means that I will help with the development of a new communications strategy and recommend additional marketing communication tools and content as needs and resources are identified.

What were you doing before joining GE?

Running a start-up as a Chief Technology Officer in Virginia

Why did you decide to join GE?

The breadth of market space and presence in various verticals

What are you working on?

Technology leader for Digital Industries group under SSA division and SW-COE. Building Collaboration, Mobile and UX solutions along Operation and Business Support Systems to increase productivity and performance for GE and its customers.

What were you doing before joining GE?

After graduating from college, I took a software engineer position at Subex Systems, a telecommunications software firm in Bangalore India. Fate intervened and I met my husband Vinay, who was working with GE at Erie PA and I moved to United States.

Why did you decide to join GE?

Innovation. I read the GE caption "Imagination at Work" from one of the forwarded emails from my friends in my undergrad, it made me to aspire to be part of GE one day. After moving to United States, I interned with GE and it gave me the opportunity to pursue my passion in software engineering.

What are you working on now?

I work as Lead Software Engineer for Intelligent Control Systems of GE Transportation. We design and develop the software for onboard locomotive systems, locomotive gateway interfaces , provide various communication solutions such as Satellite, Cellular and Wi-Fi from locomotive to customer network. We also design and develop the software infrastructure for Trip Optimizer, which is product of Ecomagination, it is an advanced energy management system that optimizes fuel consumption based on a specific train's makeup and the route being traveled. I am currently leading the software team to design and develop software for Onboard Locomotive Interface gateway which is part of Positive Train Control (PTC) System, PTC is a system of monitoring and controlling train movements to provide increased safety by preventing train collisions, speed derailments, incursions into established work zone limits and movement of a train through a switch left in the improper position.