Ahmar Zaman
Chief Financial Officer
Give us a brief overview of your role.
As CFO of GSI, I oversee several core functions related to the company’s financial health and overall operations. This includes leading our finance, accounting, and strategic capital teams, as well as supporting HR initiatives. My role involves ensuring that our financial records are accurate, that we have the funding needed to support our strategic goals, and that we’re able to clearly report on our financial performance. I also work closely with our partners at Libra and with our Executive Team to support budgeting, planning, and broader company objectives throughout the year.
What is the most memorable moment you have had working for GSI?
The most memorable moment I’ve had at GSI was the executive offsite retreat at Blue Mountain this past January. It was a valuable opportunity for the management and executive teams to come together, align on our goals for the year, and have thoughtful conversations around the company’s direction and areas for improvement. It was also a great chance to connect with colleagues in a more personal setting.
What led you to a career in Project development and coordination, and what have you found rewarding from working in the renewables sector?
I’ve always enjoyed working with numbers and had a strong interest in business, which naturally led me to a career in finance. What drew me in even more was the forward-looking nature of the field—while accounting tends to focus on the past and ensuring accuracy in historical data, finance is all about forecasting and planning for the future. I find it incredibly rewarding to think strategically about where a business is headed and what’s needed to get there.
I began my career in banking and spent about a decade on Wall Street. I entered the renewable energy sector in 2006, just as the industry was beginning to gain momentum in North America. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to grow alongside the industry—visiting the factories of many publicly listed module manufacturers, working with developers across the U.S. and internationally, and helping raise capital for solar projects in different parts of the world.
It’s been a fulfilling journey, and after nearly 20 years, I still find the work exciting. Being part of a sector that’s making a tangible impact on the future is incredibly rewarding.
Tell us one interesting fact about yourself that your colleagues might not know.
One interesting fact that many of my colleagues might not know is that I grew up in Nigeria. I was born in Pakistan, and arrived there in 1978 and spent the next 10 years of my life immersed in the culture before moving to the U.S. in 1988. It was a formative experience that shaped much of who I am today.
When I first arrived in the States at age 16, I had a strong Nigerian accent and could speak the local language, Hausa—which is commonly spoken in the northern region where I lived. Nigeria is incredibly diverse, with 95 different languages representing 95 distinct tribes across the country. While I’ve since lost most of the language, the experience of growing up in such a vibrant and multicultural environment left a lasting impression on me.
How do you spend your time outside of work?
Outside of work, I spend most of my time with my family. I have two sons—one is 13 and the other is 18—so they definitely keep us busy. My older son is preparing to head off to college this fall, and my younger one is about to start high school, which makes this an exciting time for our family.
We enjoy spending time together playing basketball, going for walks around the city, and catching a good film. My older son is really into art cinema, so we’ll often go see screenings—especially films by Wong Kar-Wai, a renowned Hong Kong director whose work from the ’80s and ’90s we both admire.
Beyond that, I love to travel, try new restaurants, and cook at home . Exploring new places and cuisines is something we really enjoy together.
What is one thing you’d like to cross off your bucket list?
One thing I’d really like to cross off my bucket list is getting my racing license. It’s something I’ve been interested in for a while. In the US, if you want to participate in club-level racing events or take certain cars out on a track, you need to be certified. I’d love the opportunity to take something like a Porsche Cayman or a 911 Carrera out on a proper track and really open it up.
Rapid Fire Favorites
- Movie: Top Gun (1986)
- Book: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
- Musician/Band: Guns N’ Roses
- Restaurant (City): Locanda Verde (New York City)
- Food: Cajun food, Pakistani cuisine, and Hakka (Chinese/Indian)
- Sports Team: New York Knicks
- City: Hong Kong