Shami leads Actis’ approach to sustainability, ESG and impact, working closely with investment colleagues and portfolio company management to assess and manage sustainability issues, helping to build world-class businesses which are leaders in sustainability, and which deliver measurable benefits to society and the planet. Shami’s role in Actis’ Leadership includes setting out and delivering the firm’s sustainability strategy. With over 20 years’ experience in responsible investment, primarily serving the private equity, banking and development finance sectors, Shami was drawn to Actis by its leadership in sustainable investing, the firm’s diverse culture and the opportunity to focus on global infrastructure markets. Since joining Actis, Shami and her team have developed two key proprietary tools – the Actis Impact Score, rooted in the UN SDGs to measure impact, and the Transition Tool, to facilitate assessment of climate-related risks in the diligence process. The latter is a key tool to support the firm’s Net Zero 2050 commitment, and Shami chairs the internal Net Zero Steering Committee.

Before joining Actis in 2014, Shami was a senior consultant at PwC’s Sustainability and Climate Change team for ten years. Prior to this, Shami led the London business of Innovest Strategic Value Advisors, providing sustainability research and analytics to institutional investors and asset managers. Shami has also worked with the United Nations Development Programme in Central America. Shami holds an MSc Environmental Technology, with Distinction, from Imperial College London and a BSc Biological Sciences from Durham University. She also did a stint with the UN in Central America, and extensive work experience in emerging markets.