A high-rise Central Bank Tower under construction in Baghdad. A new port in Basra. A transborder road network that could be the next gateway between Asia and Europe. At construction sites across Iraq, cranes and backhoes are marking a new chapter in the country’s future: After a period of conflict and unrest, Iraq is moving forward to reclaim its economic potential.

This Saturday marks International Women’s Day, a chance to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women all over the world. This year we asked electrical engineer Elisabetta Lavopa to talk about her life and work. Lavopa hails from Italy and now works as HVDC System Studies team lead in GE Vernova’s Grid Solutions business in Stafford, England.

What is your role today, and how does it fit with your career expectations?

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.

In January, GE Vernova announced that it will invest nearly $600 million in its U.S. manufacturing facilities over the next two years to expand capacity to meet increasing energy demands — relying on an especially dynamic group of engineers: the executive site leaders steering operations at GE Vernova’s more than 115 manufacturing facilities.

At 6 a.m. on the dot, Magnus Wamble whizzes up a spinach, kale, and carrot smoothie and spreads a gluten-free bagel with peanut butter and banana. Wamble, a Schenectady, New York–based new unit gas turbine project engineer at GE Vernova, washes the superfoods down with L-theanine and vitamin B supplements and a single shot of caffeine.

Last April, GE Vernova launched as a standalone company with a mission to electrify and decarbonize the world. The catalyst behind the change the company is creating is its 75,000-strong global team — their ideas, their energy, and their commitment. Meet a dozen of the people who helped GE Vernova get off to a running start.

The Enlightener: Vera Silva

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

Teaching a group of young girls to extract DNA from fruit — over videoconference, due to the pandemic — wasn’t in Miguel Angel Herranz del Pino’s job description. But the field operation process manager at GE Vernova in Madrid, Spain, stepped in two years ago when a co-worker was unable to take the class during the site’s first-ever STEAM Girls Spain Summer Camp. This year, Herranz del Pino was a camp counselor again, this time in person. If wrangling 10-year-old girls was challenging over Zoom, doing it live was even harder — but far more rewarding.