Putting Innovation Theory into Practice

The buzzword in my universe at the moment seems to be innovation. I attended a conference of 80+ companies last week on encouraging innovation in the rail sector.  The previous week I was presented an excellent framework for Commercial innovation at our annual Transportation marketing staff workout. Governments almost daily publish worthy reports how more innovation will solve their economic woes…or at least in Europe anyway! It got me thinking what do we mean really by innovation and why does it seem to be so difficult and require constant pressure.

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Celebrating 10 years of ECLP!

The ECLP program turns 10 years old this year! The program has evolved over the year - number of rotations, locations, and business involvement has changed - demonstrating GE’s commitment to continuous improvement. 

Keith Mait, GE Capital Class of 2010, and Steve Zelechoski, GE Capital Class of 2007, will be planning great event to celebrate the 10 year anniversary. They are in the earliest of planning stages but have been able to share some high-level details (subject to change of course). 

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Reflections on life for a Caymanian in Dubai (by way of Paris)

People act surprised when I tell them that my new home, Dubai, reminds me of where I grew up, in the Cayman Islands. But, apart from the obvious (desert vs. island, Arab vs. Caribbean culture), there are many surprising similarities which have made me feel as if I have found a home away from home.

My first impression of course was the heat. Arriving in May, the temperature only went upwards – people slowed down and stayed inside in the air conditioning. One step outside and you could feel your body temperature rising at an alarming rate. Daily chores made you feel like Thesiger himself, venturing into the inferno – no amount of water was enough! It made me wonder – is this what tourists to Cayman used to feel when they braved our islands from cooler climates? My mother (who is still living on the island) and I shared very consistent emails during those months – it’s hot!!!

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Recent Career Movement – Heidi Swymer, ECLP ‘10

Heidi Swymer, GE Capital ECLP Class of 2010, has a new position as the Strategic Marketing Leader for the Office Imaging platform in GE Capital’s Equipment Finance business. Previously, Heidi worked as the Marketing Campaigns Manager for Equipment Finance. Heidi received her MBA from the University of Southern California and her BS from the Pennsylvania State University.

Heidi’s ECLP Rotations:
Customer Loyalty, GE Capital, Real Estate
Customer Insights, GE Capital Americas
Commercial Excellence, GE Capital, Franchise Finance
Competitive Intelligence, GE Capital, Retail Finance

Digital Boot Camp: Start-Up Style in NYC

At the end of each day, a team of ‘Visualizers’ joined our boot camp to help illustrate our business ideas. Above is an example of their work. A few weeks ago, a number of digitally-focused ECLPs and ECLP alums participated in a weeklong Digital Boot Camp hosted by General Assembly, ‘GA’ for short. Kris Kaneta, an ECLP alum who was recently named Director of Marketing for GE Healthcare Global Services, provided a short summary of the week to his team, which appears below.

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Last week I had an incredibly unique opportunity sponsored by GE Corporate’s digital team where I spent a week at General Assembly – an NYC based start-up “community” – literally a campus community built around serving start-ups from office space to networking to classes and coaching. Think of it as a think tank for start-ups, by start-ups.

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Interview with Raj Kapur, ECLP Alumnus on the Ecomagination Team

What drew you to ECLP versus other related programs?

Prior to ECLP, I was involved with marketing/brand management in the area of consumer goods. I also had an internship at another company, and both were really good experiences. I came back for my 2nd year of business school, and reflected on what I wanted to work on. Those [consumer goods] companies would make me a great marketer, and I aspire to be a marketer, but what drew me to GE was the opportunity to learn how to run an entire business, not just be a good marketer. I would have to interact with technology, finance, supply chain, etc., and that would help me learn how all aspects of a business need to come together to really drive improvement and change.

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Recent Career Movement – Sam Kale, ECLP ‘10

Sam Kale, GE Healthcare ECLP Class of 2010, has a new position with GE Healthcare as Director of Marketing Operations for Global X-Ray reporting to the Global X-Ray CMO.  Previously, Sam worked in the Global HCS Services business.  Sam attended Vanderbilt University (undergraduate), Baylor College of Medicine (PhD), and The Owen School at Vanderbilt University (MBA).

Sam’s ECLP Rotations:

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Recent Career Movement – Annie Bhattacharjee, ECLP ‘09

Annie Bhattacharjee, GE Healthcare ECLP Class of 2009, has a new position with GE Healthcare, Maternal – Infant Care as a Product Marketing Manager.  Previously, Annie worked in the Medical Diagnostics business where she led brand consulting, market research, and forecasting for two product launches.  Annie has an engineering degree from the University of Pittsburgh and an MBA from George Washington University.  

Annie’s  ECLP Rotations:

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Recent Career Movement – Casey McHargue, ECLP ‘06

Casey McHargue, ECLP Class of 2006, has a new position with the HQ Global Marketing team as a Director of Marketing Strategy.  Previously, Casey held roles in sales and sales management for GE Healthcare’s Services and Performance Solutions business.  Casey received his MBA in Marketing from the University of Maryland and a BBA in International Business from James Madison University. 

Casey’s ECLP Rotations:
Marketing Manager, Diagnostic Imaging – GE Healthcare
Product Manager, Rail Solutions – GE Transportation
Government Policy Marketing Manager, GE Energy
Program Manager: Outpatient Imaging, – GE Healthcare

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Aviation Happy Hour

While ECLP Leadership was in sunny Cincinnati last week to visit GE Aviation, the local ECLP alumni took the opportunity to have an informal happy hour with them.  In a slightly more relaxed social atmosphere in the Hyde Park area (at a favorite ECLP hangout), Program Leadership were able to talk about a variety of topics, both professional and personal.

It was a really interesting session for all and, as always, a good excuse to catch up with former ECLP pals and great chance to meet the new team!

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