GE Vernova executives plan to ramp up hiring from that big university next door

There’s a good reason why chief executive Scott Strazik picked Cambridge for the headquarters of GE Vernova — and that reason was on full display at MIT’s Hockfield Court on Tuesday as undergrads ...

Print this Article View Comments GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik pledged to double hiring out of MIT while speaking to students at a fall fair on Tuesday.

Gretchen Ertl There’s a good reason why chief executive Scott Strazik picked Cambridge for the headquarters of GE Vernova — and that reason was on full display at MIT’s Hockfield Court on Tuesday as undergrads lined up to hear him speak.

The energy company was hosting a “fall fair” — a science fair, recruitment fair, and a small parade of food trucks — in that courtyard, where Strazik announced he would double the company’s hiring from MIT.

He referenced the fact GE Vernova hired 67 interns and 13 full-timers from the university at the end of the last school year .

The event is the latest held as part of the “Energy and Climate Alliance” that GE Vernova has forged with MIT.

The company announced last year that it would dedicate $50 million to the alliance over five years, in part to pay for internships but also for research projects in which MIT students and faculty work alongside GE Vernova scientists and engineers.

Strazik stressed the importance of the work, noting that 25 percent of the world’s electricity flows through the company’s equipment.

“Something we talk a lot about inside Vernova is the world is changing very quickly but we need to change quicker and even faster than that so we can lead in the world,” Strazik told the crowd.

“Over the last year-plus on this campus, we see a lot of opportunities for us to get better through bringing you into the organization.” Roger Martella, GE Vernova’s chief corporate officer, also made the hard sell to potential recruits, noting the corporate mission to address climate change through breakthroughs that lead to decarbonization.

“Our headquarters is less than a mile from here,” Martella said.

“Please don’t be shy in reaching out.” This is an installment of our weekly Bold Types column about the movers and shakers on Boston’s business scene.