Arun Kumar Sharma is President of Grovepike Associates. Mr. Sharma is a global leader in structured finance and has pioneered securitization and related structured products in a range of markets and is widely considered as one of the pioneers of blended finance as well as climate finance. He was the Chief Investment Officer at the IFC where he led a wide range of pathbreaking transactions in areas such as infrastructure, renewable energy, agribusiness, affordable housing, trade finance, distressed debt, and financial institutions and fintech. He now serves as a senior advisor to a range of global corporations and international agencies, including Mastercard, AXA Insurance, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC/World Bank). Mr. Sharma also serves as a non-resident Senior Fellow at the institute of international finance and as non Resident associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC. He also advises the Board of Grass Roots Trading Network for Women, an Indian nonprofit organization linking women micro-entrepreneurs to markets on fair and equitable terms.