Paul O’Regan – Halifax
Paul is the President of O’Regan’s Automotive Group

It was very encouraging to see the positive attitude of the women at the SEWA Bank in Ahmedabad. We spent a fair bit of time there.  In the smaller bank branches, there is a bank downstairs and a classroom upstairs.  The work the Coady graduates are doing to educate local women about money, savings and credit is incredible. I think in Canada we don’t do enough to educate people about finances so it’s impressive to see the Coady graduates taking the lead on this.

We have 650 people working with us in our business, so we have lots of experience recruiting staff.  I would not hesitate to hire any of the Coady graduates. Their enthusiasm is inspiring and their students were so attentive. Watching them in action was truly one of the highlights of our visit. It was clear to see the wonderful influence the Coady Institute has in this area.

In Nepal, the Coady graduates are really at the top of their game in their communities. In every area that we visited, they had a leadership role in their community and it was clear that the skills they learned at the Coady were in practical use. In Gaindakot, a Coady graduate started a small health co-operative in an area that had no services. It will expand and become a hospital.

This was my first trip to India and Nepal and it was incredible to see the work of Coady graduates and how they are taking the lead in their communities.

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