Sohinaz Sotoudeh
Sohinaz Sotoudeh is a distinguished leader in the global energy sector whose career exemplifies innovation, strategic foresight, and an unwavering commitment to sustainable development.
As Senior Vice President and Head of Development and Origination at Diamond Generating Company, Sohinaz has been at the forefront of transforming the energy landscape, guiding the company’s efforts to identify, structure, and deliver groundbreaking power assets into operation. These assets span the spectrum of energy technologies, from natural gas generation to wind, solar, solar-plus-storage, and advanced standalone storage systems—projects that are not only reshaping markets but also addressing the urgent challenges of energy transition.
Known to us as "Sunny" when she was my student in our EPIIC colloquium, International Security: The Environmental Dimension (1992) at the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts, her disposition easily reflected her name. While light-hearted and warm in demeanor, she was clearly a serious and thoughtful student, and I enjoyed our conversations and her challenging questions.
She graduated with honors in economics from Tufts University, and subsequently earned her MBA in Finance from Columbia University's Business School.
Her career which bridges finance, innovation, and global energy leadership reflects a remarkable progression through some of the most dynamic organizations in the field.
At EDF Renewables North America, Sohinaz directed power marketing and transactions, negotiating complex power contracts and acquisitions that strengthened renewable energy deployment across the continent. Earlier, as Vice President of Business Development at Ogin Energy, she helped shape the company’s wind development strategy and led strategic acquisitions. Her career foundation was built at GE Capital’s Equity Capital Group, where she evaluated and supported venture capital investments in energy technology start-ups, sharpening her ability to recognize and cultivate transformative opportunities.
Known for her clarity of vision, her ability to bridge financial acumen with technological innovation, and her deep commitment to advancing sustainable solutions, Sohinaz represents the very best of what leadership in energy can achieve.
She is celebrated not only for her professional achievements but also for her role as a mentor, collaborator, and forward-thinking voice in a rapidly evolving global industry.
Sunny's specific remarkable trajectory might not have been knowable, to either of us, in the early 90's. Yet the environmental dilemmas were overt, as was her determination and ambition to contribute to global sustainable progress. She has succeeded.