An Alumna’s Path to Public Leadership
From the halls of GW to a global health organization, Sharmishta Sivaramakrishnan, ESIA BA ’16, has built a cross-sectoral career at the intersection of public policy, corporate strategy, and international development.
Currently leading global operations at the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) for more than 35 countries, Sharmishta oversees the operational strategy that enables CHAI’s mission to work in the nexus between business and government, and improve healthcare access in low- and middle-income countries. Her work ensures that CHAI’s 1,700+ staff can focus on delivering impact across health systems worldwide.
Sharmishta is committed to a life in public service on the world stage, and in the long-term, seeks to enter a public leadership role in her home country of Singapore.
A Global Perspective, Shaped at GW
Considering herself a global Singaporean, Sharmishta has spent her life across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, North America, and now East Africa. Bilingual in English and French, she is convinced that home will forever be multiple places.
At GW, she studied international affairs at the Elliott School, where her professors reinforced the importance of navigating complexity, embracing nuance, and finding opportunities in unexpected places.
“I learned at GW that solutions to the world’s toughest problems don’t sit neatly within one sector,” she reflects. “Real change happens when governments, private companies, and nonprofits collaborate. I also had professors who encouraged my inquisitiveness. This, coupled with the canvas of Washington, DC, offered me opportunities and meetings with leaders I could never have envisioned. The key is if you want to do something, you should just ask.”
This mindset shaped her career, leading her to earn a Master’s degree in Development Economics from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, further strengthening her expertise in global policy and economic development.
She then continued to work across the United Nations, the Government of Singapore, the World Economic Forum, and EY-Parthenon before joining CHAI. Each role deepened her expertise in international development, with functional expertise in strategy, policy, partnerships, and operations. Thematically, Sharmishta is deeply passionate about global health and international trade—two areas anchored by her training as an economist.
Navigating a Complex Landscape
International development is in a complicated season. Funding priorities are shifting, the traditional development model is being challenged, and the roles of governments, nonprofits, and private sector actors continue to evolve. But this complexity is precisely why Sharmishta chose to study and work in this field.
“The work may look different days, weeks, months, or years from now—but that’s the point. The world will always be in flux, and so will the ways we approach development. The challenge is to adapt while staying committed to choosing what is right and turning the light on when things feel dark.”
Rather than being deterred by uncertainty, she sees it as a constant invitation to rethink, rebuild, and push boundaries.
A Commitment to Building Bridges
Sharmishta also noted that “it’s very important to continue doing what gives you energy. No job is perfect, just like few jobs are truly 9-5. That being said, having boundaries and learning to prioritize your passions by investing in people and places where you feel most seen – whether in the office or out – will take you far.”
Sharmishta is deeply committed to bringing her passions into the workplace. In 2023, as a management consultant at EY-Parthenon, she founded the firm’s first women’s community, creating a platform for mentorship, advocacy, and professional growth for women in consulting.
She believes in anchoring to causes that she knows will always align with her core values, such as promoting and expanding access to education. She has been a volunteer with Caring for Cambodia since the age of 14, later serving as their UN Youth Representative, and now sits on their board. A recognized youth leader in Singapore, Sharmishta has also spent countless hours exploring Singapore’s community landscape and talking to other youths, leading her to found the Young Adults Community of one of Singapore’s national self-help groups, SINDA Youth Club.
Career Insights: Lessons from her buff and blue brick road
Sharmishta has built a dynamic, cross-sector career by staying open to new opportunities and embracing unconventional paths. Here are her top career tips:
- The field is where you make it—don’t limit yourself to predefined paths or geographies.
- Be a little unhinged, and send that cold email—you never know where or to whom it might lead.
- Prioritize what you’re looking for in a role—you’ll need to be as flexible as you expect your organization to be.
- Quantitative skills matter as much as qualitative ones—Sharmishta went from nearly flunking AP Calculus in high school to taking advanced econometrics, statistics, and multivariable calculus in college and grad school.
- Talk to people who don’t think like you and pursue roles in unorthodox spaces—you’ll learn something, even if it’s just how to ask better questions.
- Understand operations and enabling support functions—they’re just as important as programmatic work.
- Invest in the causes that bring energy to your life; the canvas to contribute can be as vivid as you choose to make it.
Whether she’s organizing a global leadership meeting, championing gender equity, mentoring future leaders, or fostering new collaborations, Sharmishta remains committed to bridging ideas, people, and resources to drive impact where it’s needed most.