Soo Shing Tan had removed her hard hat and was leaving the Sultan Ibrahim (Track 4A) Power Plant in Pasir Gudang, in Johor, Malaysia, in the spring of 2024 when she realized something that made her smile. Tan is tooling director for the Asia region at One Field Services (OFS), part of GE Vernova’s Gas Power business.

This February, when the National Academy of Engineering named the 114 Americans it was elevating to engineering’s highest honor, it cited Dennis Henneke, of GE Vernova’s nuclear business, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, for an imposing achievement: “applying probabilistic risk assessment [PRA] to enhance nuclear reactor safety.” The achievement, a kind of engineering grand slam — arcane complexity and vital real-world importance — was not, Henneke says, the result of a lifelong, noble quest.

Throughout its businesses, GE Vernova benefits from the leadership qualities and problem-solving skills of its many veteran employees. As the country celebrates Veterans Day, we shine a spotlight on two bright stars.

Jamie France, Striving for Quality

Maya Zabaneh has got an issue with Emily in Paris, the smash-hit rom-com about an American marketing executive adjusting to life in the City of Light. “Emily lives in an apartment, which would be really expensive here,” says Zabaneh, who’s based in the French capital, where she works as a global supply chain digital leader for GE Vernova. “I’ve got a classic studio,” she adds, gesturing at a cozy space that quadruples up as bedroom, living room, kitchen, and home office.

In fall 2021, Arthi Vasudevan, product line leader for cybersecurity at Gas Power at GE Vernova, was working from home in Houston when there was a knock at her door. It was her seven-year-old son, sharing some exciting news. He’d just unlocked a new level on his video game, thanks to the help of a stranger online. Vasudevan hid her alarm. “The moment you start to preach, kids disconnect from you,” she says. “But inside, I was freaking out.”

Like most teenagers, Veronica Barner used to act out. Growing up in Bolivia in the late 1990s with two chemical engineers for parents, she would tell her friends that she was going to be a doctor, not an engineer. “That was my rebellious phase,” says Barner, who eventually realized her true calling and is now the head of research and development for Renewable Energy at GE Vernova.

Steven Baert remembers a time when he failed to notice change. “We were bringing in a new CEO,” he says, recalling a managerial role at a previous company. “For weeks, I just tried to carry on doing my job and help with onboarding.” Then the penny dropped. It wasn’t just the CEO who needed to adapt to a new role, but Baert, too. “I’d made a mistake,” he admits, referring to his temporary bout of tunnel vision.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (May 17, 2024) – GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE: GEV) today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed a new member: Martina Hund-Mejean, former chief financial officer of MasterCard Worldwide.

“We are delighted to add Martina Hund-Mejean to the GE Vernova Board of Directors, as she brings exceptionally strong financial expertise and a broad global perspective, having held senior leadership positions at several multinational organizations,” GE Vernova Board of Directors Non-Executive Chairman Stephen Angel said. “In addition to her strong track record leading global corporations, Martina brings extensive governance experience to our boardroom.”

“I am thrilled to work alongside Martina as she joins our Board of Directors,” GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik said. “Her experience uniquely positions her as a thoughtful counsel and dynamic leader who will help us tackle our mission of electrifying and decarbonizing the world.”

Ms. Hund-Mejean served as Chief Financial Officer of MasterCard Worldwide from 2007 until her retirement in 2019. Prior to joining MasterCard, she served as senior vice president and treasurer at Tyco International Ltd. from 2002 to 2007 and as senior vice president and treasurer at Lucent Technologies Inc. from 2000 to 2002. Previously, Hund-Mejean held multiple finance positions of increasing responsibility at General Motors Company.

Ms. Hund-Mejean currently serves as chair of the audit committee and a member of the finance and executive committees for the Prudential Financial, Inc. Board of Directors, as the chair of the finance committee and a member of the audit committee of the Colgate-Palmolive Company Board of Directors. She formerly served as chair of the University of Virginia Darden School’s Foundation Board of Trustees.

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About GE Vernova
GE Vernova is a purpose-built global energy company that includes Power, Wind, and Electrification businesses and is supported by its accelerator businesses of Advanced Research, Consulting Services, and Financial Services. Building on over 130 years of experience tackling the world’s challenges, GE Vernova is uniquely positioned to help lead the energy transition by continuing to electrify the world while simultaneously working to decarbonize it. GE Vernova helps customers power economies and deliver electricity that is vital to health, safety, security, and improved quality of life. GE Vernova is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., with more than 80,000 employees across 100+ countries around the world.

GE Vernova’s mission is embedded in its name – it retains its legacy, “GE,” as an enduring and hard-earned badge of quality and ingenuity. “Ver” / “verde” signal Earth’s verdant and lush ecosystems. “Nova,” from the Latin “novus,” nods to a new, innovative era of lower carbon energy. Supported by the Company Purpose, The Energy to Change the World, GE Vernova will help deliver a more affordable, reliable, sustainable, and secure energy future. Learn more: GE Vernova and LinkedIn.

On Nov. 2, GE Vernova christened its new headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a grand opening attended by community leaders from the Greater Boston area, including special guests Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and U.S. Ambassador David Thorne.