Leadership Takeaways From GE Aerospace's Female Trailblazers

Throughout GE Aerospace in the Middle East, Türkiye, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (METCIS), leaders in fields as diverse as legal, government affairs, strategy, and engine servicing are supporting customers with some of the fastest-expanding fleets in the world.

To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, we spoke with four inspiring women at GE Aerospace to hear their unique stories, understand how they guide their teams, and examine what they consider the hallmarks of great leadership.  

Continuous Improvement In A Fast-Paced Industry: Sanila Samuel, LEAP Services Regional Director For Europe, Middle East, and Africa 

Sanila Samuel has a busy job. She leads services for CFM International’s (a 50-50 joint company between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines) LEAP engine, which is experiencing one of the fastest ramp-ups of any engine in history.  

With more than 1,200 aircraft in service in the region, her team of customer program managers and customer operations managers covering Europe, the Middle East, and Africa need to be extremely customer-focused and connected with GE Aerospace’s maintenance, repair, and overhaul network to ensure its engines are serviced and back on-wing as quickly as possible, so that customers receive what they were promised: engines that keep their aircraft (and passengers) in the air. 

“Out of all the product lines that I could choose to be in, I’m happy I’m on LEAP,” Samuel says. “There is so much opportunity, given our speed of growth and ramp-up, to set up new service processes, to continually improve, and to deliver for our customer, every day.” 

As a leader operating in such a fast-paced environment, Samuel knows how important it is that she build a team with a wide range of complementary skills, experiences, and backgrounds. Equally crucial, when so many different priorities are grabbing her teams’ attention, she must help set priorities, since it is “easy for team members to get pulled in multiple different directions every day,” she says.  

“Our job is complex — we are constantly problem-solving at point of impact, and at the same time, we need to have a balance of long-term strategic thinking, as these are big contracts and every decision has a business impact,” she says. 

Samuel also sees her role as helping ensure that her team members continue to learn and grow — “to ensure they are getting what they want out of the role. A big part of my role is to ensure we are strongly connected with our partner, Safran, on how we support our customers in the region. We are ‘One CFM,’ and the engagement and collaboration we have helps us solve big customer problems together.” 

She believes good leaders also listen to employees. “Whenever we talk about problems, at a product line level, a customer level, or an organization level, often, the solutions are in the minds of the people doing the work,” she says. “We just need to tap into that.”  

One of the most powerful lessons Samuel has learned about leadership is to act like a coach. “Thinking back on conversations I’ve had with very senior, very experienced leaders, about some issue, they probably knew the right answer and what I should be doing, but the good leaders don’t tell you,” she says. “Instead, they help you get to the answer yourself.” 

She shares a second important leadership lesson that she seeks to emulate, which is being genuinely interested in the people around her. She recalls one leader who would take time during site visits to connect with everyone at every level. “Everybody counts,” she says. “Everybody is an important part of the team.” 

Looking ahead, Samuel is grateful and excited to work on an engine platform and for a company that gives her the opportunity to benefit passengers, airlines, and the wider industry. “There’s no shortage of ways to make an impact. The sky is the limit — pun intended. That’s what keeps me here, and that’s what keeps me motivated every day.” 

The Power Of Approachability In Leadership: Afoma Ofodile, Senior Counsel, Commercial Engines, For The Middle East, Türkiye, And CIS

As early as primary school, Afoma Ofodile knew she wanted to be a lawyer. As she grew older, she was drawn to the art of expression — both written and spoken — and she had a natural inclination for critical thinking and analysis. Today, working for GE Aerospace, she is living that dream — one that is made even better by how much she believes in GE Aerospace’s mission. 

“I’ve always been attracted to industries that make a real impact — where people come together to build things that move the world,” she says. “There’s nothing quite as humbling as witnessing a company that creates things like jet engines that literally lift you up and fly you across oceans. They are a testament to human ingenuity and the power of working together to achieve the extraordinary.” 

A further benefit for Ofodile: GE Aerospace is full of “friendly, kind people who also are very hardworking and very smart. I like the work ethic, but it’s also a place where you feel that everybody is here with one goal in mind: to help you and help each other.” 

It takes leadership to create positive environments, and Ofodile believes a good leader helps people recognize their strengths and “guides them on a journey toward perfecting what is unique about them.” 

A good leader, she adds, also helps put together teams with the right mix of skills and fits people into the right roles, then works to build cohesion and tops it off with a vision for where they want the team or organization to go and what they want it to achieve. Ultimately, Ofodile says, a great leader, no matter how senior, “is someone who’s approachable, who is kind, who is just human, no matter how big their title sounds.” 

One of the most important lessons she’s learned came from a previous female mentor. “She said there really is no perfect balance,” Ofodile recalls. “It’s about accepting wholeheartedly that your life is a mix of everything that is going on with you at that point, so each week will be different. Each day you will have to prioritize, and the balance is constantly changing.” 

Her advice to new leaders? Adopt an attitude of service, and be humble. Also, take feedback seriously but not personally. And third, embrace complexity. “The world is a very complicated place,” she says. “Make the best of it. Don’t waste time trying to simplify things when it’s not possible.” 

Reflecting on being at an international company like GE Aerospace, Ofodile is grateful to be working in an environment where she interacts every day with people from all across the globe, who bring such different backgrounds and strengths. “It’s one of the many things I love about my role,” she says. “It offers such a rich experience. I get to learn from people who are very different from me.” 

Leading by Listening: Sama Hassan, Strategy Business Development And Sales Director, Defense And Systems, For Africa, Jordan, and Kuwait 

One of the most powerful lessons Sama Hassan learned about leadership came from a seemingly uncomfortable experience: silence. “I would be on a call with my former boss without cameras, and I’d finish my update, and then there would be 30 seconds of complete silence — dead silence — that seemed to last for minutes.” 

At first, she thought it was a technical issue. But she soon realized he was doing something rare: truly listening. “When he did that, he was actually listening to what I was saying — not half listening to respond,” she remembers. “Only once I was done would he begin to articulate a response and ask follow-up questions to make sure he understood.” 

“Since then, I’ve learned that as a leader, you don’t have all the answers, and your thoughts aren’t necessarily the correct thoughts,” she says. “To be a good leader, you need to be open to different opinions, different perspectives, and to listen before you respond.” 

Other requirements of a good leader, Hassan says, are trust, humility, and passion. 

“Trust forms the foundation of strong relationships and collaborations,” she says. “With trust, your team feels valued, respected, heard. It instills confidence, allows for empowerment, and drives performance.”  

Humility dovetails with her comments about listening because it’s about “being able to admit when you don’t know something and then to ask questions; it’s about seeking to understand and to learn.” And it’s passion for the job, but also for the team and their collective goals. “With passion comes inspiration and motivation,” she says. “It’s contagious. When a leader is passionate, the team senses it; it gives them courage.” 

Passion is something Hassan understands well. Her career didn’t begin in aerospace. She initially pursued interior design, intending to work alongside her architect father. But after a couple of years of work, she realized that “it just didn’t ignite that passion that I had hoped for.” Realizing this, she moved into project management, which was pivotal. 

“This sparked my enthusiasm,” she recalls. “I had to manage many different projects under crazy deadlines. It was incredibly stressful, but I found it exciting. I like that challenge. And so, I developed a passion for collaborating with people and meeting demanding timelines. This eventually led me to GE Aerospace, where I continue to thrive in customer-facing roles, managing complex projects, and having these stringent deadlines.” 

Today, she thrives at GE Aerospace, working in a role that challenges her daily. She also loves her team and the broader Defense and Systems organization. “We have a solid foundation of trust, which is key. Each member brings a unique set of skills and qualities that complement and enhance one another. This creates synergy and makes us highly effective and easy to collaborate with. And all of that contributes to our success.” 

Diplomacy in the Skies: Özge Çırıka, Government Engagement Director For Türkiye And The CIS region 

At the age of 16, Özge Çırıka traveled from Türkiye to The Hague to participate in a Model United Nations program, a global program during which high school students take on the roles of diplomats representing countries around the world. Although she had initially wanted to become an astronaut, that experience was so formative that it sparked a lifelong passion for diplomacy and international affairs.  

Although her career path took a few detours — studying business at university and landing a banking job after graduation — she felt extremely lucky when she landed a job with the United States embassy in Türkiye. “It was the perfect definition of a multinational work environment … and a good match for my skillset, my knowledge base, experience, and interest,” she says. 

After 16 years at the embassy, where she worked in the Commercial section focused on defense and aerospace, came a new opportunity with GE, and later, GE Aerospace. She joined GE Aerospace to take on the newly created position of government engagement director for Türkiye and the CIS region just as the company launched as an independent organization. 

In this role, she supports the different GE Aerospace verticals, including Commercial Engines, Defense and Systems, and Software, by providing timely market information, giving them “the lay of the land and helping them establish contacts with key stakeholders and customers.” Because of the overlap with her former role, Çırıka is in familiar territory, “but on a higher level. I have more autonomy and decision-making authority, which allows me to grow professionally.” She loves that “no day is the same as the previous one. I have to think strategically, see the big picture, understand where the opportunities are, and develop a game plan accordingly.” 

Reflecting on the leadership lessons she’s learned, Çırıka identifies good leaders as those who are fair, rational, objective, and open-minded. They know themselves — both their capabilities and their shortcomings. They stay authentic and consistent. “A good leader should garner credibility,” she says. “Your team should have faith in you. You should exhibit humility and should not be scared to empower your subordinates. Rather, bring out the best in people. Develop their skills and talents. Create a positive and motivational workplace.” 

And, she says, a good leader should have “a bias for action.” As a leader herself now, Çırıka looks back to lessons she’s learned from others, including “never to ignore the human element,” which means never forget — no matter how automated a business or how well established its operating structures — that human beings can make mistakes and bad decisions, as well as come up with creative ideas and out-of-the-box thinking.  

As a leader, she says, “you must consider both. That’s why positive psychology, which helps you bring out the best in people, is better than putting them under unnecessary pressure.” 

These four leaders — each with a unique journey — share a common belief: leadership is about listening, empowering, and continuously learning. As we celebrate International Women’s Day, their stories remind us that great leadership isn’t about the title they hold but about making an impact on the people around you.  

Pictured on the lead image is GE Aerospace's Özge Çırıka.