The AIF Institute Names Sharmila Kassam as Executive Director Former Deputy CIO of Texas ERS will lead the AIF Institute's Centers of Excellence launch in 2021 News provided by Share this article Share this article NEW YORK, Jan. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AIF Global announced today at its 2021 Annual Investors' Meeting the appointment of Sharmila (Shar) Kassam as the Executive Director of the AIF Institute—the educational resource arm of AIF Global, which brings customized education to institutional investors globally. AIF Global Founder and CEO Brant Maller and AIF Institute President Melissa Waller made the announcement to a virtual audience of hundreds of institutional investors attending the annual meeting in tandem with the unveiling of the AIF Institute's first of three Centers of Excellence.