Team

Akash Shrestha is the Director of Strategy and Development at the Samriddhi Foundation, where he engages in strategic networking, designs impactful programs, develops sustainable funding models, and empowers functional teams to perform at high levels.

Akash studied Political Economy at the University of Hong Kong and holds two master’s degrees – in Political Science from Tribhuvan University, Nepal, and in Public Policy from the University of Warwick, UK. He was a finalist in the Think Tank Shark Tank Competition (Malaysia, 2016) and the winner of the John Blundell Elevator Pitch Competition (New York, 2017).

He has authored and co-authored books, policy papers, and articles dissecting Nepal’s economic policies, with a focus on reform strategies that enable growth and individual liberty.

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).

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.

Beli Maya plays an important role at Samriddhi Foundation by keeping office clean and offering hospitality to visitors and guests.

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.

Nirajan is Office Assistant at Samriddhi Foundation and he assists in day-to-day-operations of the organization and looks after store management, repair and maintenance. He is the go-to person when it comes to locating stuff and fixing broken equipment at work. He is a student of Bachelors of Business Studies (BBS) and aspires to be a banker.

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 and Program Assistant at Samriddhi Foundation. 

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.

Roshan Basnet is a dedicated and focused person who excels at prioritizing and completing multiple task concurrently. Having remarkable experience on outreach, he is put into the designation of Communication and Outreach Coordinator in The Foundation that has marked in establishing communication and public relation among national and international actors.

His 10 years of experience as an IT and Graphic officer has paved the way with determined aptitude to think him creatively about longer-term marketing initiatives and ways to develop The foundation’s brand among those actors.  He believes, ‘rather than knowledge, the true sign of intelligence is imagination’, So Imagination is pretty much important to advance the ideas for outreach. Hence, be imaginative for creating the freer society.

He is also the radio program presenter/ producer at Hits FM 91.2 and Founder/ IT Director at Media Arch inc.

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.

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.