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Regula ScheggShe might be an established financial pro now, but the little girl who grew up in a tiny Swiss village has always believed in helping others.

Regula Schegg, a 2005 Thunderbird graduate, says her passion for lifelong education brought her to Thunderbird, and her desire to help others fueled her strong views on corporate responsibility.

Schegg is the head of strategic controlling for Hilti AG, based in Liechtenstein. The company develops products for the construction and building maintenance industry.

“Corporations have a huge responsibility to do good for society,” Schegg says from Switzerland. “It’s important to me to have a good corporate career, but also to develop good philanthropic work.”

Both Schegg’s career and education have given her opportunities to educate women around the world. She previously worked for the Grameen Foundation, a group based in Washington, that provides microloans to poor women around the globe. Schegg helped build a team of microfinance pros that developed financial products for socially responsible investors.

“It was a dream of mine for years to get into (microfinance),” she says. “Those little loans can make a huge difference. The power of women in this world is tremendous, but many are disadvantaged.”
Beyond her past work with the Grameen Foundation, Schegg has mentored an Afghan woman since 2006 as part of Thunderbird’s Project Artemis.

Schegg doesn’t mince words when it comes to the importance of educating more women around the world.
“Education for me is one of the most important things in life,” she says. “Thunderbird’s biggest impact on me was teaching me how the world and culture works.”

She says Thunderbird also helped show her that society changes, and the roles of women around the world are changing.

“Women should not be seen as a threat, and it shouldn’t be a battle against men,” she says. “More opportunities for women create more opportunities for everyone.”