Safe Horizon, the nation’s largest victim service organization, today announced the appointment of Petra B. Schmidt, Global Industry Leader at Aon, to its Board of Directors.
Every year, 250,000 people seek safety through Safe Horizon services following experiences of violence, abuse, and exploitation. The board supports Safe Horizon’s vision of a world where safety is a universal human right.
“We proudly welcome Petra to the Safe Horizon board,” said Liz Roberts, Safe Horizon CEO. “Petra has been a Safe Horizon supporter for over a decade and has a deep passion for supporting survivors. I am excited to stand with her in this new capacity and I’m looking forward to the impact we can create.”
“Joining the Safe Horizon Board of Directors is a profound privilege. The courage and resilience of survivors, and the compassionate support Safe Horizon provides, inspire me. I am eager to contribute my experience and perspective, along with my fellow board members, to help strengthen the organization’s services, amplify survivors’ voices, and ensure more people can access the safety and support they deserve,” said Petra B. Schmidt, Global Industry Leader, Aon.
Petra is a Global Industry Leader with Aon’s Enterprise Client Group and leads the Global Industry Group, overseeing industry verticals serving Aon’s clients in Financial Institutions, Food, Agriculture and Beverage, Life Sciences, Natural Resources, Financial Sponsors, Insurance, Technology, Retail/Consumer and Industrials & Manufacturing.
Previously, Petra served in several leadership roles including Global Financial Industry Leader, Chief Commercial Officer, European Sales and Marketing, leading the Northeast region, and working in Global Business Development. Petra has lived and worked in several regions including two expatriate assignments in London as well as leading client/project assignments in Asia Pacific and Latin America. Previously she was a Vice President of National Accounts at Aetna for eight years. She has been with Aon for 29 years and has a proven track record of delivering large-scale business solutions that have impact and establishing herself as a trusted advisor and strategic partner-of-choice for clients.
In addition to the Safe Horizon Board of Directors, she also serves on the Board of Directors for British American Business and recently served as a Board member of the University of Wisconsin-Student Affairs.
Petra holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was a three-year member of the Shelter Island Comprehensive Planning Committee task force. She completed the Executive MBA course at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School as well as leadership work at Harvard University.
A complete list of board members can be found on Safe Horizon’s website at Board of Directors.