Nisha Kumar

About Nisha Kumar

Nisha Kumar (born 1970) is an Independent Director of The India Fund, Inc. (IFN) serving since 2016 (Class II), with her current term expiring at the 2026 Annual Meeting; she brings deep finance, accounting, and private equity governance experience, having previously served as Managing Director, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Compliance Officer of Greenbriar Equity Group LP (2011–2022) and as a director of The Asia Tigers Fund, Inc. (2016–2018) . She currently serves on the Nominating Committee at IFN; in 2024 she was also an Audit Committee member and was designated the Board’s “audit committee financial expert,” whereas in 2025 the ACFE designation shifted to Rahn Porter and the Audit Committee’s membership no longer includes Kumar . She is a current board member of Birkenstock Holding plc, RealTruck, Inc., and the Legg Mason Closed-End Funds, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations .

Past Roles

External Roles

Board Governance

• Independence and status: Kumar is listed as an Independent Director; IFN’s standing committees (Audit and Nominating) are composed entirely of directors who are not “interested persons” and meet NYSE independence standards .
• Committee memberships and roles:
  • 2024: Audit Committee member; Nominating Committee member; Board designated her as the Audit Committee Financial Expert .
  • 2025: Nominating Committee member; Audit Committee membership changed to Porter (Chair), Rubio, and Yao; Porter designated as ACFE .
• Meeting cadence and attendance:
  • 2024: Board held five regular and two special meetings; each Director attended at least 75% of Board/committee meetings; Audit Committee convened five times; Nominating Committee met three times .
  • 2023: Board held four regular and two special meetings; each Director attended at least 75% of Board/committee meetings; the Nominating Committee met once .
• Annual meeting attendance: IFN has no formal policy on annual meeting attendance; no Directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders .

Committee assignments summary

Fixed Compensation

• The Fund discloses only aggregate director compensation (cash retainer/meeting fees); no pension or retirement benefits are provided to directors .

Note: Officers/interested directors receive no compensation from IFN for board service; independent director compensation is paid as retainer/meeting fees; no director pensions are provided .

Performance Compensation

• No equity awards (RSUs/PSUs), option awards, or performance-based metrics are disclosed for IFN directors; the proxy presents director pay as cash retainers/meeting fees only .
• No severance, change-in-control, tax gross-ups, or clawback provisions related to director compensation are disclosed for IFN directors .

Other Directorships & Interlocks

• Current public company boards: Birkenstock Holding plc; RealTruck, Inc. .
• Investment company boards: Director of 24 registered investment companies in the Legg Mason closed-end fund complex .
• Interlocks/conflicts disclosures: As of April 1, 2025, no independent director (or immediate family) beneficially owned any shares of abrdn Asia Limited (IFN’s investment manager) or its control affiliates; no individual director held ≥1% of IFN’s outstanding shares .

Expertise & Qualifications

• Finance/accounting leadership as CFO and CCO at a private equity firm; board service in multiple investment companies; prior designation as the Board’s “audit committee financial expert” (2024) .
• The 2025 proxy emphasizes each director’s specific characteristics, noting her financial and accounting experience and private equity board experience .

Equity Ownership

• Concentration: As of April 1, 2025, no director or executive officer individually, nor directors/executive officers as a group, represented ≥1% of IFN shares outstanding .
• Section 16 compliance: Based on IFN’s review, reporting persons (including directors) timely filed required ownership reports during FY 2024 .

Governance Assessment

• Strengths
  • Independence and fund governance familiarity: Long-tenured independent director (since 2016) with finance, accounting, and private equity compliance expertise; prior ACFE designation supports audit literacy .
  • Engagement: Met 75%+ attendance threshold; board and committee cadence appears regular (5 board meetings, 5 audit, 3 nominating in 2024) .
  • Conflicts: No ownership of IFN’s adviser (abrdn Asia) by independent directors or immediate family; no ≥1% beneficial ownership .
• Watch items
  • Annual meeting optics: No directors attended the 2024 annual meeting (no formal attendance policy), which some investors view as a signal on engagement .
  • Committee rotation: In 2025 she moved off the Audit Committee and the ACFE designation shifted to another director; while common in governance rotation, investors should monitor continuity of financial oversight experience on the committee .
  • Pay trend: Her aggregate compensation increased from $59,975 in 2023 to $94,381.46 in 2024; the proxy provides totals but not a detailed fee schedule, limiting analysis of cash vs. committee chair/membership mix .

No related-party transactions, hedging/pledging, or say-on-pay outcomes involving Kumar are disclosed in IFN’s 2024–2025 proxies; stock ownership guidelines for directors are not disclosed .