On September 23rd, the first information session for this fall 2013 took place at AT&T building. Ian Forrest, Vice president of Global Marketing and Clarence Nunn, Chief Commercial Officer, GE were here at Thunderbird to speak about the Experienced Career Leadership Program (ECLP).
GE is a phenomenal company that has ventured into many industries such as aviation, capital, energy management, health care, home and business solutions, etc. It is spread over more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people. GE capital is involved in providing financial solutions to middle markets. It is one of the world’s largest financing providers and is spread over 50 countries. It currently concentrates on high return segments and caters to the needs of 1 million direct customers. To promote their business, GE Capital is also involved in “Roadshow for Growth”, a national tour designed to give middle market businesses a major stage to voice their issues and promote growth within critical segments of the U.S. economy.
Updating knowledge and keeping up to current trends is embedded in the culture of GE. Therefore, the company spends about 1 billion USD on training its employees. There are currently 6 leadership programs involving candidates from various fields and the ECLP is for graduate students who are interested in becoming future commercial leaders at GE. GE has been ranked #1 for International leadership and rotational programs for undergraduates as well as graduates by Universum.
ECLP was started in the year 2002 and is an extensive 2 year program. The candidates are trained in 3 different skills – marketing, strategy, and leadership skills in 12 different business units. It is an 8 month rotational program and the candidates are constantly trained to get a better view of the company. A few of the Thunderbird alumni were also present at the session and were available for a casual chat after the completion of the session.
The recruiters felt that it was great to see the senior leaders from GE convey their passion for what they do and how they do it. One of them said, “Ian Forrest was able to connect with the students and show them how what they are doing in the classroom can directly apply to the great work he is doing at GE”. A Thunderbird alumni who was also a recruiter said, “GE Capital’s Roadshow for Growth made for a perfect opportunity to showcase Thunderbird and the student body to very senior GE decision makers. It was great being back on campus and to feel the enthusiasm and motivation of so many students interested in careers at GE. We appreciate all the effort that went into planning the event from Mike Kennard and the CMC. Be sure to apply for ECLP on Global Connect and we’ll look forward to continuing the Thunderbird legacy within GE”.