From Data Centres to Mining Trucks: Graduates on Starting Out at ABB

In her first 14 months at ABB, Katrin Sheibeh has worked on battery charging for ships, product management for data centres and sales in energy industries. Nikolina Dekanovic designs power converters for trains, and her work has helped electrify giant mining trucks. Both are early in their ABB careers, and both show how much ground an engineering graduate can cover there.

ABB Discovery: choosing your own rotations

Katrin: from chemical engineering to three different businesses

Katrin Sheibeh studied chemical engineering at KTH in Stockholm. On the programme, she has rotated through Corporate Research, product management for data centres and sales in energy industries, and says colleagues treat trainees as real contributors rather than short-term visitors.

Carl: trying different roles before deciding

Carl Kilström studied mechanical engineering and business at Lund University, but wasn't sure which path suited him. Discovery let him try several, and he's now a project manager delivering large motors and generators to customers in North America. His tip for applicants: make the most of everything, from different roles to customer trips and social events.

R&D: for engineers who want to build things

For graduates who want to stay close to the technology, ABB also runs an R&D Early Career Program in its Electrification business, in Mexico and the US. Over two years, engineers rotate through areas like new product development, R&D and manufacturing support. Along the way they complete more than 150 hours of training, including two accredited courses at top engineering schools, and finish with a capstone project.

Nikolina: what a career in R&D looks like

Nikolina Dekanovic joined ABB as an R&D Power Electronics Engineer in Switzerland in 2023, after a PhD at EPFL. She wanted to see technology go beyond the prototype stage, into products that run for decades. Today she designs building blocks for power converters used in trains, and some of her work has helped electrify large mining trucks.

Mentoring has shaped her career, and she now mentors trainees on the ABB Discovery Program herself. She also co-created "Build Your Train", hands-on workshops that encourage young women into engineering.

Your story could start here

Visit ABB's early-careers page on myGwork. And if you're joining WorkFair, myGwork's online LGBTQ+ careers fair, visit ABB's virtual booth to meet the team.