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Thunderbird 2006 graduate Gbemi Disu launched Thunderbird Cares Day as a student. Today, she serves domestic abuse victims in Nigeria.Thunderbird 2006 graduate Gbemi Disu is deskbound at the moment as assistant vice president of strategic cost initiatives for HSBC in Chicago. But that doesn’t mean she’s stuck in a domestic mindset.

“I find ways to reduce inefficiencies and costs while still maintaining quality,” says Disu, who regularly interacts with key business units in the Global Resourcing Group NA for London-based HSBC, which has more than 10,000 offices in 83 countries. “It doesn’t make sense for me to get on a plane and meet people in person, particularly since I’m in a cost-savings role. But I leverage my cross-cultural skills I learned at T-bird, like working with virtual teams and global technology, to get the job done.”

Tackling issues, regardless of her location, is a habit for Disu. As a student, she launched Thunderbird Cares Day, a volunteer program in which students, faculty and staff work on a number of community issues in Phoenix. Now, she is extending a social arm to women in her country who are victims of domestic abuse by developing a shelter system that will be a safe haven and provide long-term opportunities.

“It’s a grass roots project that will empower women to learn skills that will help them leave their circumstances,” Disu says of the project, which is in the research stage. “It’s not enough to give them a temporary place to stay. Without proper training, they won’t leave their situation.”

Nigeria is a complicated environment to change, but Disu says her T-bird training, especially in micro-finance, is guiding her toward building a shelter infrastructure that is sustainable. “We learned at T-bird that it’s not enough to do good, but to do something that makes sense.”

She’s also using her multinational experiences to pursue her culinary passion, hosting informal cooking classes that feature diverse menus and writing a global infusion cookbook. “If it’s food, I love it,” she says.

Her kitchen habits come in handy since her Midwestern digs have become a popular layover for T-birds in transit. “Everyone passes through Chicago,” Disu says. “My friends call it the ‘Hotel Disu.’ I host T-birds at least twice a month.”