George works in Helsinki Pitäjänmäki, the biggest ABB Drives R&D and production site in the world. Having spent his childhood and youth in Zimbabwe and then his adult years primarily in South Africa, George brings the sun and joy on his face when coming to the meeting.
“Oh, I love Finland,” he starts and does not seem to have any struggle with the cool spring weather. “Four seasons are actually the best”, he assures us and continues a list of the bright spots in his new home country. “The people are so friendly, the nature is beautiful and everything in the society works very well. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to live and work here.”
So, Finland has clearly found a place in his heart. One of the reasons for that is also his role at ABB Finland. As a result of participating in a developer event in San Francisco he first worked as a developer in a Finnish start-up. It was clearly a path worth taking as it opened up even a new career opportunity.
George Kapoya works at ABB in Pitäjänmäki, Helsinki, developing mobile applications for ABB drives. "My work has a purpose." 
George works in an international team led by Mikko Nevalainen. The team keeps in touch actively and George meets Mikko also in the office. 
“Continuous learning among interesting technologies keeps me motivated. I challenge myself every day," George says. 
George enjoys his life in Finland. "I'm studying Finnish."
Work with a purpose
“I find my developer role here really motivating,” he says. “Emphasis of the work is on creating new features for mobile applications instead of just fixing bugs, for example. It is great to constantly improve user experience, see things evolve and be able to help customers get the best out of their products.”
“At ABB I can combine both worlds: the agile working environment of a small team in a huge scale of a large company,” Mobile Developer George Kapoya describes.
Electric motors for construction and industrial applications use 45% of the electricity consumed worldwide. A drive is an electronic device that controls the speed of the motor which leads to improved process control and energy savings.
“Being part of a company that helps to build a more sustainable future, for example, through our drives portfolio that enables increase in energy efficiency creates purpose for my work. And I feel that I can personally add value to these projects,” George says.
Team has the power
George began his ABB story remotely during the pandemic, but it all worked well. “Thanks to my manager, colleagues and all the tools at hand, I have been taken well on board,” he says.
“Nowadays we operate in a hybrid model and I can continue working from home but also regularly see my colleagues in the office.” He is part of a multinational team of 15 where only one teammate is a Finn. He considers this to describe ABB’s diverse working environment well.
“Continuous learning among interesting technologies keeps me motivated. I can challenge myself every day, take responsibility and independently accomplish my individual tasks," George explains his role. "But then we also work as a team, find solutions together and I can learn a great deal from others.”
“The people make me feel at home here," he continues. "It is great to get back to normal and I’m looking forward to our social gatherings.”
Every now and then George bravely tests his language skills with his Finnish colleagues and is well received. Even though he considers that Finns speak English really well, he sees learning Finnish a key to the culture and is, therefore, taking regular lessons. One reason for that is his wish to bring up a family here in the future with his Zimbabwean wife who has a career in a pre-school.
“When you know the language, it helps in enjoying life in a new home country and being part of society”, George says and gives some evidence by speaking some Finnish.
"And believe or not, I have even tried downhill skiing! And I love salmon – rakastan lohta”, he laughs.
Have a look at the video where George talks about his work days!
