Sumitra Kumar
In the Markets and Standards team at VCMI, Sumitra is focused on developing additional VCMI claims and guidance to enhance integrity in the voluntary carbon markets. Reporting to the Technical Director, she currently plays a key role in designing new claim guidance documents, implementation of claims code and VCMI’s Monitoring, Reporting & Assurance processes. Sumitra also supports stakeholder engagement and contributes to the continuous improvement of VCMI Claims Code of Practice.
Prior to joining VCMI, Sumitra gained diverse experience across the private and public sectors. As an EDF Climate Corps Fellow at Kohlberg & Company, she revised the firm-wide sustainable investing strategy, integrating ESG considerations across deal sourcing, due diligence, and post-acquisition stages. She also worked on sustainability projects at Google, The Walt Disney Company, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, focusing on net-zero transition strategies, climate-related financial disclosures, and ESG standard harmonization. In the public sector, Sumitra served as the Monitoring and Evaluation Lead for Environment and Energy at NITI Aayog, the apex advisory body to the Prime Minister of India. There, she led strategic consultations and program management worth $11B annually, steering multi-tiered transformation with a core focus on decarbonization of the national economy.
Sumitra holds a Master of Environmental Management from Yale University’s School of the Environment, where she was a Sabin International Environmental Fellow. She also has a Master of Science in Geology from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur and a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Delhi, where she was awarded the University Gold Medal. Originally from India, Sumitra is now based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, US.