A p p o i n t m e n t

Pokharel appointed Finance Secretary
Arjun Pokharel has been appointed as Secretary of Finance. He was working as Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. In the Ministry of Finance, Pokharel has replaced Toyam Raya who has been posted to the Office of the Vice President. Pokharel entered the civil service in 2051 BS as an officer. He has worked in key revenue agencies of the government such as the Internal Revenue Department, Department of Customs, and Customs Office of Tribhuvan Airport.

He also worked as the Head of the Department of Money Laundering Investigation, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Finance, Chief District Officer of Kapilvastu and Rupandehi districts, Chief Secretary of Sudurpaschim Province and Madhesh Province, and Secretary of the Public Service Commission. He has also held responsibilities as Industry Secretary and Secretary Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration.

Thakali appointed as CEO of Kamana Sewa Bikas Bank
Dinesh Thakali has been appointed as CEO of Kamana Sewa Bikas Bank. Earlier, he was Deputy General Manager (DGM) of Prabhu Bank and worked there as Chief Business Officer. He was the Managing Director of Prabhu Capital Limited for two years prior to becoming the bank’s DGM. He joined Prabhu Bank as Chief Operations Officer (COO) in 2018 prior to which he was Officiating CEO in Shangri-la Development Bank. A chartered accountant by profession, Thakali has experience in deposit management, marketing, and the securities market. He is also the former General Secretary of the Association of Chartered Accounts of Nepal.

Acharya appointed CEO of Lumbini Bikas Bank
Suman Acharya has been appointed as the Deputy CEO of Lumbini Bikas Bank Limited. Earlier, he was Assistant General Manager (Credit Business Chief) of Civil Bank Limited (now Himalayan Bank) and Chairman of Civil Capital Market Limited. Acharya, who has 23 years of experience in the banking sector, started his career as a management trainee at Nepal Credit & Commerce Bank in 2000. He has worked in NIC Asia, Himalayan Bank, Sunrise Bank, and Civil Bank in different roles and responsibilities. He holds an MBA degree from Tribhuvan University.

Awasthi promoted to DGM of Nabil Bank
Ganesh Prasad Awasthi has been promoted to Deputy General Manager (DGM) of Nabil Bank. He was previously the Assistant General Manager working as Chief Business Officer in the bank.

Awasthi has over two decades of experience in the banking sector. He started his banking career in 2001 at the then NIC Bank (now NIC Asia). After working as the head of a branch of Kumari Bank, he joined Global IME Bank in 2008 and worked there for 13 years before joining Nabil Bank. Awasthi is known for his expertise in credit management and customer services. He holds a master’s degree in economics and management from Tribhuvan University. He has also studied Disruptive Strategy at Harvard Business School.

Kumar appointed CEO of LIC (Nepal) 
Pranay Kumar has been appointed as CEO of Life Insurance Corporation (Nepal) Limited. He will be in the post for the next three years. Prior to his appointment in LIC (Nepal), Kumar was working as Senior Divisional Manager (Senior Divisional Manager) in the Nagpur Division of LIC India.

Shrestha appointed CEO of Laxmi Laghubitta
Sundar Prasad Shrestha has been appointed as CEO of Laxmi Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited. His appointment to the post came after the tenure of Prakash Raj Sharma ended on April 30. Shrestha, who has been working in Laxmi Laghubitta for the past 10 years, is currently the Deputy General Manager of the company. Shrestha, who has 20 years of experience in the microfinance sector, started his career at Nirdhan Utthan Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited.

Pokharel takes charge of Namaste Pay as CEO
Prabin Raj Pokharel has been appointed as CEO of Namaste Pay, a digital wallet company. He has a track record of over 27 years working in leading banks and financial institutions, electronic payment systems, and fintech companies. Pokharel has worked as CEO of f1Soft International and MNepal Ltd. He has worked in senior management positions at Global IME Bank, Nabil Bank, Bank of Kathmandu (now Global IME Bank) and Himalayan Bank.

Shrestha named Chairman of Salt Trading
Pradip Lal Shrestha has been appointed as Chairman of Salt Trading Corporation Limited. Shrestha is the eldest son of the late Ishwor Lal Shrestha, one of the founders of Salt Trading and the former President of the Nepal Chamber of Commerce.

Sapkota become CEO of JHCL
Sanjay Sapkota has been appointed as CEO of Jagdulla Hydropower Company Limited (JHCL) through open competition. Sapkota, who is working in the company for the last four years, is also the Head of the 106MW Jagdulla Hydroelectric Project. He previously worked as Acting CEO of the company.

Shah elected HAN President
Binayak Shah has been unanimously elected as the President of the Hotel Association Nepal (HAN). Shah, who is the owner of the Airport Hotel, was previously the First Vice-president of HAN. Similarly, Prabin Bahadur Pandey has been elected First Vice-president, Binay Tuladhar Second Vice-president, Sajan Shakya General Secretary, and Yubraj Shrestha Treasurer of the association.

Likewise, Bidhita Shrestha, Jaydin Shrestha, Sarik Ahmad Lari, Binod Shankar Shrestha, Bishal Kumar Kaith, Dinesh Shrestha, Rajendra Bhatta, Thakur Prasad Pokhrel Ram Kumar Puri, Laxman Aryal, Biplav Poudel, Gopal Rana, Rajan Shrestha, and Suman Ghimire have been elected Members of the new working committee.