Raveena Desraj Shrestha (Chapman) is a career banker with over three decades of experience in Nepal’s financial industry, rising from the grassroots to serve at the highest level of executive leadership. She has been recognised nationally and internationally for service excellence, transformation, and leadership. After taking voluntary retirement, she has devoted her second chapter to curating programmes and platforms that bridge institutional excellence with human evolution, particularly in the areas of leadership, emotional intelligence, customer service, and inner sovereignty. She is now working at the intersection of banking, transformation, and people development.
Q: How would you assess the evolution of Nepal’s banking sector in terms of professionalism and customer-centric services?
A: Nepal’s banking sector has matured significantly in the past two decades, moving from a transactional focus to a more structured, diversified service delivery model. With technological upgrades and regulatory tightening, professionalism has increased. However, customer-centricity still needs deeper cultural embedding – not just digital access, but emotional intelligence, empathy, and personalisation. The next wave of evolution will require blending heart and system – the soft and the strong – to meet the rising expectations of a more informed and discerning clientele.
Q: Considering complexities, competition, and compliance, how should banks and financial institutions enhance employee skills?
A: Banks and financial institutions must adopt a layered approach to employee development. At the base, foundational compliance and technical skills must be rigorously updated. But above that, critical thinking, adaptability, service mindset, digital fluency, and soft skills like empathy, communication, and collaboration are vital. Rather than one-size-fits-all training, a competency-based, role-specific upskilling framework – tied to business outcomes and real scenarios – is needed. We must shift from passive instruction to immersive learning ecosystems.
Q: How effectively has NRB’s Corporate Governance directive been enforced, and how can the regulator facilitate BFIs?
A: NRB’s Corporate Governance directives have set a much-needed structure and accountability matrix for BFIs. Enforcement has been more visible in areas like board formation and reporting, but cultural adherence – particularly in ethics, performance-based accountability, and board–management alignment – remains inconsistent. The regulator can play a catalytic role not just as an enforcer, but as a facilitator – by incentivising performance cultures, encouraging talent development, and fostering collaborative forums for governance learning.
Q: Is training in the sector still a ‘tick-the-box’ activity? Will this suffice?
A: Unfortunately, in many institutions, yes – training remains compliance-led or reactive, rather than transformation-led or strategic. Tick-the-box training may fulfil audit trails but fails to shift performance or mindset. For training to be impactful, it must be treated as an investment, not an expense – linked to business KPIs, delivered by credible facilitators, followed by measurement and reinforcement. A culture of continuous learning must be championed from the top.
Q: What is HR’s role in training needs assessment and outcomes?
A: HR is no longer just an administrative support function – it must be a strategic partner. In training, HR must ensure alignment between institutional goals and employee development needs through data-driven needs assessment, 360-degree feedback, and performance insights. Moreover, HR must champion post-training reinforcement, coaching, and outcome tracking – moving from ‘how many attended’ to ‘what changed’. Learning without application is simply memory. HR ensures translation into action.
Q: Could you share a successful training intervention that had tangible impact?
A: Yes. During my time as a senior executive, we once designed a customised ‘Service with Soul’ programme for frontline staff that combined process excellence with emotional intelligence and inner awareness. It wasn’t just skills training – it shifted how teams showed up at work. We saw marked improvements in customer satisfaction, retention, and even staff morale. When training honours both technical precision and human emotion, results multiply.
Q: How can BFIs support corporatisation of other entities as role models?
A: BFIs have a vital role, not just as lenders but as mentors and ecosystem builders. Through structured financing, advisory, and governance support, banks can help SMEs and family businesses professionalise, formalise, and scale. For this, banks must train their relationship teams to move from transaction managers to solution architects. Corporatisation is not just about paperwork – it’s a mindset shift, and BFIs can lead by modelling this shift internally first.
Q: Do you have plans to contribute to training and development in the sector?
A: Absolutely. I consider this my next life’s mission. I’ve already begun conducting leadership and service excellence workshops and curating custom transformational programmes for institutions and individuals. My signature frameworks like The Sovereign Path™ and House of Her™ also have modules applicable to the financial and corporate sector, blending strategy with soul. I am committed to nurturing emotionally intelligent, high-performing, purpose-driven professionals who can carry Nepal forward.
Q: What is your key advice for emerging HR or Learning and Development professionals in Nepal’s financial and corporate sector?
A: Be curious. Don’t replicate – innovate. Understand the business, the people, and the pulse. Anchor your training in both relevance and resonance – make it matter and make it land. Advocate for training that moves the needle, not just fills the seat. Collaborate with leaders, design from the heart, and always measure impact. Nepal needs L&D professionals who can build not just employees, but future-ready institutions.
