#49 – GE Vernova: The Energy of Change
“The energy of change.”
This is the purpose statement by GE Vernova, the energy-focused successor of the historic General Electric Company.
The roots of this organisational purpose date back to 1892, when Thomas Edison and his partners founded the General Electric Company in Schenectady, New York.
For more than a century, GE was synonymous with American industrial leadership, lighting homes, electrifying factories, and pioneering power generation.
Its scale was enormous: at times one of the largest corporations in the world, a Fortune 500 mainstay, and an industrial anchor in multiple sectors.
But the 21st century brought profound challenges. The diversification that once fuelled growth became a strategic burden, particularly after the 2008 financial crisis exposed vulnerabilities in GE’s financial services arm.
In response to systemic stress and shifting market realities, GE embarked on a long restructuring journey, culminating in 2024 with the formal breakup of the conglomerate.
From this historic transition emerged three focused successors: GE Aerospace, GE HealthCare, and GE Vernova, each carrying forward part of the original GE legacy with a sharpened strategic focus.
GE Vernova is now the custodian of the company’s energy heritage. Its purpose reflects a deliberate redefinition: energy as a force for systemic transition.
In an era of climate urgency, volatile geopolitics, and the rapid rise of renewable technologies, GE Vernova’s purpose pushes it to accelerate the transformation of power systems, grid resilience, and decarbonisation pathways.
Since its establishment as a standalone energy company in 2024, GE Vernova has:
Advanced utility‑scale wind turbine deployments and offshore renewables integration in key global markets
Expanded its grid infrastructure solutions portfolio to help utilities balance intermittent renewables with system reliability
Partnered with industrial and government stakeholders on energy transition roadmaps, embedding new technologies into evolving regulatory and decarbonisation frameworks.
“The energy of change” is the strategic anchor for investment, innovation, and cross‑sector collaboration, signaling that purpose guides legacy capabilities into future‑fit solutions without losing the rigor of engineering excellence that defined GE for generations.
