Sapna Shah is the first to hold the new position of head of corporate responsibility at Pimco, one of the world’s premier fixed income investment managers, with $1.8 trillion under management.
The role, which has a focus on gender equality, is an important one for Pimco, which has recently faced two high-profile gender discrimination lawsuits, the latest filed in October by Andrea Martin Inokon, a black woman who is senior counsel at the firm. Inokon charged that Pimco failed to promote her after she got pregnant, and that executives at the firm encouraged employees to socialize at strip clubs and on golf outings. (Pimco has denied the allegations.)
Shah’s responsibility is to drive the development and implementation of Pimco’s corporate responsibility platform, leading a range of initiatives that support the firm’s corporate and social goals, including gender equality. One of her moves has been to forge a partnership with Girls Who Invest, an organization devoted to increasing opportunities in finance for young women.
Shah joined Pimco in 2007 and was previously the firm’s inclusion, diversity and culture officer. Before joining Pimco, she was with the equity research group of JPMorgan Asset Management. She has an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago.
