Kongkona Sarma is an economist with more than 20 years of experience working primarily in the areas of sustainable investment, focusing on environmental, social, and governance (ESG), standards and impact measurement, investment facilitation, business environment reform, and program impact evaluation. She started her career in the capital markets in India, gaining skills in financial valuation and data analytics. Drawing on her experience in the financial sector, Kongkona has worked in private sector engagement programs using a market systems approach, specializing in value chain analysis, economic and financial appraisal, and developing results measurement frameworks. She has extensive experience designing technical assistance for financial institutions (FIs) by demonstrating the business case for financial services to promote gender-lens investing and green financing.

Kongkona has served as a Technical Director for DAI’s Economic Growth portfolio of programs, including Business Environment Reform Facility, Jobs Evaluation & Measuring Impact (JEMI), and Greening the Mohammed VI Fund, Morocco. She is currently the Delivery Lead of FSG Plus, a program that promotes sustained changes in the practices of British International Institute (BII) FI investees through focused technical assistance to promote financial inclusion, and climate and environmental sustainability.

Kongkona has undertaken assignments for various bilateral and multilateral organizations including the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, BII, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and Commonwealth Secretariat in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.

She is also involved in promoting pro-poor tourism efforts, advising responsible tourism organizations in the northeastern region of India and Bhutan.

• Master’s, public administration, Maxwell School of Citizenship, Syracuse University
• Master’s, economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India