Meet GE Digital's Employee Resource Groups

We are spotlighting our D&I Employee Resource Groups.  First up: The African Affinity Forum (AAF).  Read on to get to know this group through their shared stories.

Meet Sabina Zafar, Senior Principal Software Architect.

Q: What are the characteristics of a good leader?

A: A good leader is a listener, empathetic and leads with humility. A good leader should both empower and uplift people around them.

Q: What does it mean to have a community at work?

A: Community at work is all about a sense of belonging, as a community you are part of something much larger than yourself driving towards a common mission. You also build your community at work over the years with the people you deeply connect with and those become your long-term friendships.

Q: What is the most important lesson you have learned during your journey at GE?

A: During my journey at GE, I have learned the importance of building relationships across businesses. GE is a very large organization with multiple businesses even within GE Digital, however you have many opportunities to work across these organizational lines and build relationships with people who may not directly work with you. It has helped me in partnering with folks across the organization, whether to achieve a business outcome for GE or partner for a common cause and passion.

Q: What does diversity, inclusion, and belonging mean to you?

A: Diversity is all about creating an inclusive environment, accepting of every individual's differences, enabling all employees to achieve their full potential and as a result, allowing your business to reach its fullest potential. Inclusion & belonging is being accepted and valued for the unique contributions that you bring to the workplace.

Q: What is your superpower?

A: My super power is persistence. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines persistence “as a quality that allows someone to continue doing something or trying to do something even though it is difficult or opposed by other people” My persistence to go on and work hard every day for my goals is what got me here today and what will get to my next destination.

Q: What hobbies have you picked up during working from home over the past year?

A: I have picked up biking during the pandemic. My favorite ride is the on the Iron Horse trail and my longest bike ride was 46 miles.

Q: Who would play you in a movie?

A: Selma Hayek – her characters are ambitious, passionate and spontaneous just like myself. She likes debating and thinking about issues from different perspectives, so I think she would play me well in a movie.

Meet Serge Nguene, Senior Vulnerability Management Analyst.

Q: What does it mean to have a community at work?

A: As well-intended the private and public sector’s commitments may be, it is important to ensure that the bulk of the funds allocated ends up benefiting the targeted communities in question based on the due diligence conducted by the grassroots level. Therefore a Grassroots Level approach in solving complex community issues has proven to be more successful and effective than a Top-Down approach.

Q: What is the most important lesson you have learned during your journey at GE?

A: GE is the quintessential American conglomerate that has spun out cultivated leaders who now lead companies within the top Fortune 100. The lesson learned is that leadership is not a final destination but a lifetime of cultivation, divergent thought & strategy. Having been through three different business units going from GE Oil & Gas to GE Power and now GE Digital has served as a launchpad with a capacity to spearhead any Tech role.

Q: What does diversity, inclusion, and belonging mean to you?

A: In 1787, Count Constantine de Volney -- a French nobleman, philosopher & historian known to have introduced the concept of Separation of Church and State to Thomas Jefferson-- embarked on a scientific and anthropological 7-month journey to Egypt. Troubled by the institution of the slave trade benefiting France and most of Europe, he was shocked upon seeing and studying the famous Sphinx Statue of Ancient Egypt and its history and culture. he had this to say as encapsulated in one of the most famous intellectual quotes of all time:

"Just think that this race of Black men, today our slave and the object of our scorn, is the very race to which we owe our arts, sciences, and even the use of speech! Just imagine, finally, that it is in the midst of people who call themselves the greatest friends of liberty and humanity that one has approved the most barbarous slavery, and questioned whether Black men have the same kind of intelligence as whites!"

The point here is that diversity is about people in positions of power and leadership having a duty to cultivate the minds while addressing inequalities through community awareness and strategic constructive initiatives.

Q: What is your superpower?

A: My instinct to challenge the status quo is half of my superpower! The other half is about leveraging my linguistic capacity to speak fluently & write professionally in French and 3 other languages which have to this day opened a ton of opportunities for me during my lifetime. Currently, French is spoken in 29 different countries!

Q: What hobbies have you picked up during working from home over the past year?

• Hiking in San Ramon
• Virtualization using a cluster of Raspberry Pis
• Generating ancient Africa historical content for a research institute located in Central Africa.

Q: Who would play you in a movie?

A: King Taharqua – Conqueror of Ancient Egypt.

He was one of the legendary Kings of Ancient Nubia (now Sudan & S. Sudan) who not only conquered Ancient Egypt and the Levant but also kickstarted the legendary 25th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. Nubian civilization is one of the longest civilization in history spanning over 10,000 years.

Meet Keith Edmonds, Global Commodity Director, Hardware & Software.

Q: What does it mean to have a community at work?

A: It’s like having your family members at work. You can go to family for good advice or just to vent if you are having a bad day. Family will always welcome you and not be judgmental. Having that at work is essential to me. They will tell you exactly what they feel and it will come from a good place.

Q: What is the most important lesson you have learned during your journey at GE?

A: Treat everyone with respect and always have high integrity. I have been in 3 different GE businesses over my 23 year career with GE and have worked and met with hundreds of very smart people. You never know if one of those many colleagues may become your manager in the future, so I always leave the best impression on everyone I encounter.

Q: What does diversity, inclusion, and belonging mean to you?

A: Diversity and inclusion is having different perspectives, not just one point of view. GE has a long history of solving the world’s most complex problems with our products. I think that if we don’t value different viewpoints we will not be successful as a company. I really enjoy working at a company that allows me to interact with many different people with all sorts of backgrounds, races, genders, etc.

Q: What is your superpower?

A: Empathy is something I feel is one of my superpowers. It makes me a better person. I feel that everyone should have this power in them because it allows you to be in tuned with others feelings.

Q: What hobbies have you picked up during working from home over the past year?

A: I have learned to cook. I also have attempted to make more healthier dishes as well. I have also tried to be find ways to exercise at home more, just around the house.

Q: Who would play you in a movie?

A: Will Smith would be my choice to play me. He has a way of being serious and funny all in the same scene! I think that would represent me.

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