Shagufta Hassan is the Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer for the Aga Khan University (AKU) where she oversees all financial affairs of the University and its healthcare system across six countries. “AKU has played a pivotal role in my career and professional development,” she explains. “I have worked my way up from being a manager of Grants and Contracts to being the Vice President of Finance and CFO. I have had many firsts at AKU: the first female Director of Finance, the first female CEO of AKUH Outreach, and the first female Vice President of Finance and CFO. The institution provided me several opportunities and I lived up to the challenges.” AKU is an equal-opportunity employer. AKU has 38 percent women representation on its Board and women comprise 32 percent of AKU’s top management and 42 percent in middle management.