Meet Agni Piwko, SWE Global Ambassador and FLIGHT DECK advocate
Engineering has always been close to home for Agni Piwko. Both her parents were engineers so her early interest in mathematics came as no surprise. Neither did her desire to build a career in a technical role.
Through her fourteen-year tenure at GE Aerospace to date, Agni has also been motivated by a strong desire to help people reach their full potential.
It’s perhaps why, in 2023, Agni became a Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Global Ambassador, making history as the first ambassador from Poland.
A flying start at GE Aerospace
After graduating from the Warsaw University of Technology with an undergraduate degree and a master’s degree, Agni joined GE Aerospace as an ECM Coordinator.
A year later, she moved into cost-related work, where she quickly began to make an impact. In 2014, she was recognised with an Early Career Award at her second Engineering Recognition Day.
Building on that experience, Agni then moved into an operational role, where she honed her problem-solving skills and ignited a passion for supporting her colleagues
“Working with people and having the inner feeling that what I do makes someone else’s day easier or better is what continues to motivate me to this day”, Agni says.
The first SWE Global Ambassador from Poland
In 2023, while working at GE Aerospace Poland, Agni was introduced to the SWE by a colleague who invited her to a conference in Barcelona.
“One of my core values is supporting female talent in STEM, so I quickly fell in love with what SWE represents,” Agni says, reflecting on her first impressions of the network. “Seeing women connect, share experiences, and feel less alone in their journeys has been incredibly rewarding”.
Agni soon became the first SWE Global Ambassador from Poland, with a focus on expanding the community of women engineers across the country.
“Respect for People is at the heart of growing this community and helping move the needle on female engineering representation,” Agni says, crediting both her colleagues’ support and FLIGHT DECK principles with steadily bringing the Polish SWE community together. “Continuous Improvement guides how we keep evolving and expanding our impact.”
For Agni, becoming a SWE Global Ambassador has been incredibly rewarding.
“It has expanded my perspective, strengthened my confidence, and given me new ideas that I bring back into my day-to-day work,” says Agni.
2023 was a significant year for Agni. In addition to becoming the first Polish SWE Global Ambassador, she also received the Engineering Excellence Award for Cultural Transformation as part of the GE Aerospace Women’s Network in Poland.
FLIGHT DECK: Transitioning her focus to Dowty
Agni joined the Lean department at the beginning of 2026, quickly settling into Brockworth and her new team. “I feel very fortunate to be working at Dowty. It’s a lovely team and everyone I have met at Dowty are inspiring and helping me to grow,” Agni says, reflecting on her first six months at Dowty.
“Building strong, respectful connections and working together towards common goals has been incredibly enjoyable.”
Joining Dowty also marked a turning point in Agni’s career, as she moved from engineering into a FLIGHT DECK role which allowed her to take her love for solving technical challenges and now , drive impact beyond a single project.
After six months in the role, Agni is energized about what’s next for FLIGHT DECK at Dowty.
“FLIGHT DECK is the force that shapes not only how we operate, but how we think, lead, and improve together,” Agni says. “I want FLIGHT DECK to set a clear standard for excellence across the Dowty business, inspiring a mindset that no standard is ever final”.
When asked what advice she would give to employees embracing FLIGHT DECK fundamentals, Agni was clear:
“Don’t wait for a formal Kaizen event or improvement project to start living FLIGHT DECK principles,” she says. “Some of the most meaningful improvements begin with one simple action – identifying a problem, asking why it exists, and making one thing better today than it was yesterday.”
To help overcome big challenges, Agni often draws inspiration from Maria Skłodowska-Curie, the Polish scientist who won two Nobel Prizes. One of her favourite quotes is: “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood”.
“I think that mindset fits FLIGHT DECK perfectly,” Agni says. “When something looks complex or difficult, the best response is not to be intimidated by it, but to understand it, learn from it, and improve it”.
Since joining Dowty, Agni has introduced new standard work for senior leaders, resulting in a clearer operating cadence and enabling faster decision-making and escalation when issues arise.
“Working with key stakeholders has been a significant step up for me, and I truly appreciate the opportunity to experience top-level business operations,” says Agni.
As Agni begins this next chapter at Dowty, her passion for FLIGHT DECK and supporting women in STEM continues to shape the impact she makes every day.
Learn more about the Society of Women Engineers here.
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