Entries in IMLP global (2)

Wednesday
14Oct2009

IMLP in the UK

Welcome to the first in a soon-to-be regular weekly series of posts from the IMLPs in the UK.  There are currently just 14 of us, but that is soon to expand to over 20 in the coming year, and we’re very excited!

 

Before starting IMLP, I was working as a full-time engineer with GE for 2 years.  So, to kick-off this series I’m going to tell you about IMLP in the UK and why I gave up my engineering job to move back on to a training program. 

I started back in 2007 for GE Aviation Systems in Cheltenham as a Systems Engineer working on avionics products.  This was a role I enjoyed immensely but towards the end of my second year I was ready for a new challenge, which was when I discovered IMLP. 

IMLP gave me the opportunity to get leadership and project management experience sooner than I would have been able to otherwise. 

Add to this the world-class training we receive and the huge peer and alumni network IMLPs have and I didn’t have to think twice.  I now get the opportunity to regularly meet with the senior leadership of our business, and the great thing is; they genuinely listen to our ideas.

Never without: Laptop, Blackberry, VPN tokenOne of the perks of the UK programme for me has been to be part of a global, mobile workforce.  I work with teams in the USA and India on a daily basis and I can work from anywhere with an internet connection (including home!).

 In fact I am writing this post from a GE Healthcare office in Milwaukee WI.  I’ll be hopping on a plane back to the UK next week, just in time to meet some prospective new IMLPs at Warwick University on the 19th October.  See you there!

 

 

Thursday
04Sep2008

Where In the World Are the IMLPs?


Keonda Williams

This IMLP and  Cincinnati, Ohio native loves Italy, the movie "Face Off," but doesn't like eat vegetables (and that's okay).

As an aviation IMLP spending her 4th (and final) rotation in Bracknell, United Kingdom, Keonda Williams has enjoyed taking her IMLP experience overseas.

When asked what she likes most about her new geography, Keonda responded, "What I enjoy most about working at my location is my location!"

"I like the area I live in because it's nice and relaxing with many trees and parks, but London is only an hour away if want to go to the busy areas to dine or shop. For fun, I go to London almost every weekend to shop, go to the museums, theater, sightsee, and walk around the parks," she said.
Bracknell, United Kingdom
Keonda's fourth rotation is centered around continuously improving and developing reporting in order to meet the needs of the metrics-based EUS (End User Services) program, managing an internal website, as well as developing and publishing communications materials for the group.

While on rotation in the UK, she was also invited  to attend the European IM Council Meeting in Prague, where nearly every European CIO at GE was in attendance, not to mention Gary Reiner (GE's current CIO).

"It was an honor to even be invited to attend," she said. "This [event] gave me a wonderful opportunity to network with CIO's across the GE business. I also had lunch with Gary Reiner."

Through her rotation, Keonda was able to network with senior leadership, as her current role requires her to meet, coordinate, or make decisions every day with Pole and Region Leaders across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the United States.

Before joining IMLP full-time, Keonda graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a B.S. in Computer Engineering Technology and co-oped with GE for seven rotations.