Ash Sharma

Ash is the Director of ESG and Corporate Sustainability at Kind Capital. He has 20 years of experience working at and advising multi-nationals and banks in North & Latin America, Asia and Europe and in positions of sustainability, innovation, investor relations, ESG, corporate philanthropy, impact investing, diversity, equality &inclusion, global business development, corporate finance and strategy, digital and social media communications, brand & marketing, and technology for impact. Previously he worked at DaimlerChrysler Aerospace, Standard CharteredBank, Shinsei Bank and Scotiabank where he leveraged core business, sustainability and philanthropic activities to create inclusive and sustainable business lines and engaged work cultures. Ash works with corporate, family office and foundation clients to navigate and integrate ESG into investment research, metrics, software and risk management, regulatory compliance, partnerships and thought leadership.

Ash has implemented in-house corporate projects as a pioneer or lead sponsor in over 60 countries in partnership with other leading firms and institutions, including Microsoft,Qualcomm, Starbucks, Sanofi, Toyota, J.P. Morgan, Merrill Lynch, MorganStanley, Korea First Bank, The Body Shop, Yahoo!, Wipro, China Unicom, TheWorld Bank, The United Nations, Palo Alto Research Center, MIT, IIT and national and local governments. As a banker focused on sustainability and engagement, he has been part of small, high-impact teams that integrated micro finance and high-growth ventures into business lines, workplace practices, and community investments in twelve countries; managed high-profile visual and performing Arts projects for wealth management and retail clients; created a growth culture around ESG that led to the launch of eight sustainable investment funds, including in healthcare, solar energy, agriculture, infrastructure, mobile and universal design and access; succeeded gaining inclusion into the Dow Jones Sustainability Global and Asia-Pacific Indices; promoted US$15 billion in sustainable investments, including renewable energy deals; and managed US$4 billion in diverse, global capital market issuances to completely reset a bank’s corporate finance and investor strategy. 

Ash is a Monbukagakusho (MEXT) scholar and holds a MBA from the International University of Japan and a B.A. Honors in European Studies in Arts, Culture & Languages (French, German &Spanish) from Trinity College at the University of Toronto. Ash completed his undergraduate studies as a scholar at Humboldt Universitaet zu Berlin, Germany,University of Western à Trois-Pistoles, Quebec and Universidad deAlicante, Spain. He speaks six languages, including Hindi, and has worked in North America, Asia and Europe. Ash works with his family on access to healthcare and financial inclusion through a social enterprise hub and is on the Advisory Board for STEM Advantage, a non-profit that empowers low-income,BIPOC and female computer engineering university students through workforce development.