Dr. Arega Yirdaw, as an engineer, spent 20 years in the United States honing his skills at a series of major corporations. But he never lost sight of an even bigger goal - building the business and education infrastructure of his home country, Ethiopia.

Dr. Arega began his career in aviation and aerospace engineering in 1970 with Ethiopian Airlines. He later worked in engineering and management roles in the United States at Boeing, BorgWarner Fluid Controls/Western Hydraulics and HR Textron. He has authored several professional articles for newspapers and magazines and belongs to a number of professional associations, including The Royal Aeronautical Society of the United Kingdom.

Now as the CEO of Ethiopia's MIDROC Technology Group Companies, he leads the nation's largest gold mine, its first private university and 18 other entities. He has built one of Ethiopia's most respected companies and contributed for the betterment of the country in so many ways.