In a video message, Agostino Renna, President and CEO GE Lighting EMEA, lists speed, simplicity, customer-centricity and accountability as key areas of focus for 2013.
On May 9 we are celebrating the birth of the European Union. The EU was established with the aim of creating peace, but its dynamism and success is based on its involvement in economics. More than half a century later, an even bigger alliance is in the making, when a transatlantic trade and investment partnership (TTIP) is to take place between the two largest economies of the world: that of the US and the EU. With over 4.7 trillion USD combined bilateral trade and investment, not to mention the combined GDP, the deal is about to turn the global economy, as we know it today around. This agreement was urged by many, including European AmChams, for some time. After the first rounds of enthusiasm around TTPI it is time to reflect how this move may effect CEE. To find out, GE for CEE brings you the opinion of those, who were and would be at the frontline of the changes that the new partnership will hopefully bring.
Back in the age the Flower Power, pollution was a sign of prosperity, cars with enormous fuel consumption were the pride of families. But the age of environmental innocence was soon to be over: 22 April 1970, 20 million people in the US took to the streets, to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment and Earth Day was born. 33 years later, people switched from protest and posters to real live actions around the world. People in CEE – many GE volunteers among them – took action and were not afraid to get their hands dirty.
Guest post by Agnieszka Miszczyk, editor-in-chief of inzynierka.pl
There is a lot of truth to the saying that a woman can do more then the devil. Women know perfectly well how to manage a team to achieve their goal. Some say it is intuition. I'd rather say it is the matter of evolution. If one claims that women are made to stay home and bring up children, then it is clear that it comes from women's innate negotiation skills, problem and conflict solving skills and the art of motivation.
According to Albert Szentgyörgyi, a Hungarian Nobel-Prize winner, who we can thank Vitamin C to, "Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought of.” Creating something ordinary has never lead to major changes, therefore we rely on the creativity of masterminds that shape the long-term future of technology and mankind. At Singularity University’s Global Impact Competition, CEE proved to be a right soil for nurturing talents, who are about to influence the life of millions of people of the Globe. Earlier we reported on the call for entries - now let’s meet the winners and get to know the efforts that drive this amazing inivitative ahead!
Guest post by Hugh Gillanders, GE’s Director for Public Affairs Europe
If Europe is to drive growth and competiveness it needs to invest in building an EU wide ‘innovation ecosystem’ to avoid what the EU’s Commission for Innovation and Research, Maire Geoghegan-Quinn described as ‘an innovation divide in Europe’. Similarly, this will ensure Europe remains competitive in the global economy. The message once again for the EU is: ‘Innovate or Stagnate’.
Unfortunately when it comes to private matters, we can not give you an ultimate answer. But as for working life, a recent study reported on the most important factors for engineers when choosing an employer: according to the results of the 12th annual ranking of "Company for engineers” conducted among 2 215 Polish engineers these are the possibility of development, international work environment and attractive salary. In this year's ranking engineers the most appreciated the companies are from energy and electrical with 5 of them in the top 10. GE was the second in the ranking.
Guest post by Roland Papp
Since my early childhood I always wanted to become an engineer. I have been captivated by machines, especially engines and turbines. I know I am not alone as many young boys share my enthusiasm. However I have never been an ordinary guy. I have always put my goals very high and worked hard to reach them. I was only 11 when I decided to study at the University of Cambridge. It was not just a dream, but a serious decision and I started to build up my plan. Part of it was somehow getting an insight of the everyday life of engineers and world-class factories. I wrote an email to the HR officers of the GE Power & Water plant asking for help. They invited me to an interview which I turned out to be so successful that they organized an individual internship program for me.
Some countries do it, some don't. No matter where you live, we would like to remind you how much we appreciate the women who touch our lives and work. Watch our video and share it via the blog or our Facebook site.
Following the innovation roundtable events in Warsaw and Budapest, another high level meeting discussing innovation as a strategic advantage for CEE took place in Prague on 5 March 2013.
Stakeholders of the Czech government, universities, non- governmental and business institutions gathered to the roundtable event organized by GE and AmCham where the results of the 2013 GE Global Innovation Barometer were discussed in addition to the possible means of improving collaborative approach in the Czech Republic.
