The Directors to Watch: Racial & Ethnic Diversity Class of 2025 highlights 24 significant and diverse directors who have contributed to and will continue to expand ongoing dialogue on board best practices and corporate governance excellence.
Sharmila Kassam
Griid Infrastructure LLC, Calamos Aksia Alternative Credit Fund, Greenbacker Renewable Energy Corporation
Sharmila Kassam is a financial executive with 30 years serving on the frontline for investors — leveraging her multidisciplinary background as an attorney, CPA and investor to champion innovative commercial solutions.
She is a director and audit chair for GRIID Infrastructure, a public energy company. She serves as independent trustee and governance chair of Calamos Aksia Alternative Credit Fund; independent trustee and audit chair of Greenbacker Renewable Energy Corporation, a clean energy company; and treasurer and independent trustee of Affordable Central Texas Housing, an open-ended real estate fund.
Kassam's scope extends beyond organizational borders, bridging the divide between the financial sector and technology and data firms servicing these institutions to improve operational performance and better serve an investor community that is skewing younger.
Scenario planning and the art of thinking together. “As markets transform with an increase in volatility and complexity, there is no single, right answer to the ever-broadening challenges organizations face. Board engagement is now much more adaptive and agile. Effective governance requires an appreciation for scenario planning and the art of thinking together, bringing together lived experience from all stakeholders in the ecosystem, as well as digital literacy, unsettling questions and diverse perspectives. That's how the board can help game out alternative business strategies and commercial probabilities to serve a younger, hyper-connected community. However, interdependence brings risks, such as new conflicts of interest and intellectual property protection. Balancing openness with vigilance is paramount.”