Team

Akash Shrestha is Research Manager at Samriddhi Foundation. He also engages with the politicians, policy-makers, bureaucrats and sectorial experts of Samriddhi’s research areas as part of Samriddhi’s advocacy efforts. He contributes to building networks with key stakeholders and identifying new research areas. His concentration is also on promoting ideas of liberty through media platforms via different public consumption materials.

He studied Political Economy at the University of Hong Kong. He was a finalist in the Think Tank Shark Tank Competition held in Malaysia in 2016 and was the winner of the John Blundell Elevator Pitch Competition in Ney York in 2017. He has authored (and co-authored) books, policy papers and articles dissecting Nepalese economic policies.

Prior to joining Samriddhi in 2013, he was a founding member of Youth for Nepal.

Arpita Nepal is the co-founder and advisor of Research & Development at Samriddhi Foundation. She also oversees curriculum design of The Foundation’s education and training programs along with strategizing advocacy campaigns. Some of Samriddhi ’s flagship programs such as Arthalaya – School of Economics & Entrepreneurship and Nepal Economic Growth Agenda (NEGA) were conceived and executed under her leadership.

She has remained a part time faculty member of two colleges in Nepal for over five years and has been involved in activism for democracy. She is trained in Strategic Planning and has extensive experience of working with parliamentarians, representatives of private sector, experts and several stakeholder groups. She holds double Master degree in Economics from George Mason University (USA) and Tribhuvan University (Nepal).

Ashansa is a research assistant at the Foundation. She is an aspiring economist with a passion for exploring the intersection of economic theory and practical applications. She is committed to advocating for sustainable policies and their implementation. With a strong academic background in economics and a passion for research, Ashansa is committed to making meaningful contributions to economic discourse and policy planning.

Ayushma Maharjan is a thinker and an ardent libertarian. She is currently working as a Research and Communications Officer, where she is regularly involved in drafting research papers, discussing her findings with relevant stakeholders and advocating for policy changes. She also writes blogs and articles on contemporary economic issues of Nepal.  Ayushma has also designed and implemented a number of public-private dialogue events, and workshops and training to inform youth and leaders on alternative ideas to development. Through these efforts, she aspires to craft conducive policy reforms, redefine policy discourse, and strengthen the policy sphere of Nepal.

Bandana Basnet is Administrator at Samriddhi Foundation where she contributes to Samriddhi’s advocacy and outreach programs by coordinating with politicians, bureaucrats and private sector leaders. She also assists in developing Admin/ Finance strategies with different stakeholders.

She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics. She has a rich experience of leadership and activism as the former Vice President of Mahendranagar Jaycees. Prior to joining Samriddhi, she oversaw the operations of Lead International, a leadership and management consulting firm based in Nepal.

Deependra Chaulagain is the Director of Operations at Samriddhi Foundation where he is responsible for devising and executing operational systems, processes and policies to ensure sound administration of the organization. He also oversees the development of outreach programs of the Foundation and coordinates the organization’s outreach with parliamentarians, politicians and bureaucrats. He has remained a youth activist and has long experience of designing and executing several national and international programs in youth participation, youth politics, youth volunteerism and peace building.

He was also associated with Youth Initiative, where he was a team leader and facilitator of ‘Civic Leadership School’. In 2005, Deependra was nominated as a team leader of Monitoring and evaluation of “Breaking the cycle of poverty through the Empowerment of Adolescent girls” a project under UNSECO. He has also served as a Vice President of Association of Youth organization of Nepal (AYON) where he was responsible fin handling all the issues related to member organizations, designing programs to empower youth and youth organizations and monitor the projects of AYON. He joined Samriddhi Foundation in 2007 and is also a former president of Liberal Youth of South Asia (LYSA), a network of liberal youth and liberal youth organizations of South Asia. He holds a Master degree in Political Science.

Dr. Dabadi is a Senior Fellow at Samriddhi Foundation.  After completing his M. Sc.  and Ph.D. in economics from the then Soviet Union, he worked in institutions like Industrial Service Centre, Social Service National Coordination Council, Nepal Administrative Staff college.  He joined the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) as senior economist and has been very closely involved in working out the position of the private sector of Nepal on various policy initiatives of government. After leaving FNCCI, he worked as Director of Research South Asia Watch on Trade and Economy and Executive Director of Non Resident Nepali Association for some years. He once again, joined the FNCCI and worked as its Director General for 5 years till April of 2015.

Dr Dabadi has a wide experience of the Nepalese Private sector and its link with the government policy making. He was directly involved in the FNCCI initiatives like FNCCI Business Confidence Index,  Nepal Economic Summit, Annual International Trade Fair,  Inception of Non Resident Nepali Movement. His area of work include investment promotion,  market economy, Nepal’s private sector, policy analysis and policy making, reforms to encourage private sector etc.

He holds Ph.D. in  Economics and  M. Sc. in Economics.

Manogya Sharma is the Programs & Outreach Manager at Samriddhi Foundation where he has developed and executed several flagship programs since 2008. These initiatives have helped The Foundation reach out to students, young activists, journalists, parliamentarians, politicians and bureaucrats. This role is fundamental in the success of Samriddhi to help liberalize Nepal and achieve a free and prosperous society. He holds degrees in Business Administration and Political Science which allow him to better execute his role. His previous experiences range from non-profit organizations to commercial houses. These include leadership positions at youth led organizations to development and expansion of FMCG products.

Nabina Prajapati is Admin/Finance Coordinator at Samriddhi Foundation where she is responsible for the day to day administration and office finances. She joined the Foundation in mid-2014 and has previously interned for Nepal Credit and Commerce Bank Ltd. She is currently a student of Master in Business Administration.

Nistha is a recent graduate of Economics and Statistics from St. Joseph’s University, Bengaluru. She is passionate about exploring the intersection of economic theory and policy-making, with a particular focus on their practical implications. With her training in economic modelling and statistical analysis, she seeks to evaluate their application in everyday life to address key issues in the Nepali context. Currently, she is a research intern at Samriddhi Foundation. 

Niyati is a recent graduate of Bachelors in Development Studies from Kathmandu University. As a student of development studies she aspires to unfold the challenges and hurdles in the development process of Nepal and is willing to work at grass-root level to contribute in evidence based research works. Some of her field of interests include agriculture, economics and international relations. She is currently working at Samriddhi as a research assistant, writing blogs and articles.

Prakash Maharjan is a researcher at Samridhi Foundation with his area of focus in the field of federalism, governance, development, and entrepreneurship. He has a postgraduate degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from Tribhuwan University and a graduates degree in Business Administration from Kathmandu University.  He was previously a research fellow at Sichuan University prior to joining Samriddhi Foundation. He believes in hard work and determination and aims to instigate policy reforms in the country on the basis of evidence-based research with a vision to flourish prosperity in the country.

Robin Sitoula is the co-founder and executive director of Samriddhi Foundation. Having successfully established a non-partisan youth movement in Nepal in the late nineties through Youth Initiative, he initiated Samriddhi Foundation in 2006 with his colleagues. From the very beginning, he has been at the core of building a reliable team that has made Samriddhi an award-winning institute. He has designed and implemented several research, educational and advocacy programs in areas of entrepreneurship, economic policy reform, and democracy.

He has worked with eight major political youth organizations of Nepal for several years and established one of the largest collaborative leadership programs amongst contesting parties in Nepal. He has extensively travelled in South Asia and North America to share his expertise on designing successful campaigns and programs. He has been a fellow at Atlas Network since 2006. He graduated in Investments and Financial Management from the Tribhuvan University in Nepal. Besides working at Samriddhi, he runs private enterprises namely in the sector of management consulting and research and analytics as a vocation.

Roshma is diva of delicious at Samriddhi Foundation where she offers hospitality to visitors and guests. She also plays an important role in ensuring the team members’ good health by offering delicious home-cooked lunch at the office.

Subhekshya Ghimire is a dedicated student of economics. She enjoys working with diverse and committed individuals to help foster innovative solutions to our society’s pressing problems. She finds her strength within the blend of data and economic theories. With a keen eye for detail, she consistently seeks to make meaningful contributions to the field of economics.

Yatindra K C is a researcher at Samriddhi Foundation. He has graduate degree in public policy and management. He takes keen interest in the political economy of reforms, fiscal federalism, and sub-national governance. Since joining the foundation in 2019, he has authored and co-authored numerous policy briefs on areas related to but not limited to Nepal’s fiscal architecture, Political Economy of COVID-19 relief, Sub-national Business environment, and Conditional Development Aid.