Our Team

General Gaurav SJB Rana is the former Chief of Army Staff of the Nepali Army. With a proud legacy of nine generations in uniform to have served in the Nepali Army and the nation, Gen. Rana joined the Royal Nepalese Army in 1974, and over the illustrious four decades led the Nepali Army from 2012 to 2015, which was a highly crucial and politically sensitive transition period in Nepal’s peace process that included momentous events including the integration of the Maoist combatants to Nepali Army and the drafting of the country's constitution. Gen. Rana closely planned and managed the integration of the Maoist combatants into the Nepali Army. When the first Constituent Assembly failed to draft a constitution, he was intimately involved in planning and supervising the crucial and historic Second Constituent Assembly election in 2013 in a free, fair and safe environment. Under his leadership, the Nepali Army garnered global appreciation and applause for organising and leading effective rescue and relief operations in the aftermath of the catastrophic earthquake of 2015. He retired on September 10, 2015, five days before Nepal's new constitution was promulgated. Gen. Rana deeply cares about the need for the conservation of nature and biodiversity and believes that prompt actions are needed to address the impacts of climate change.

Kishore Thapa is a highly respected former Secretary of the Government of Nepal and a renowned urban planning and development expert. He was responsible for key policy-level contributions as the Secretary of the Ministry of Urban Development and other designations at different ministries in his 32 years in the civil service. In spite of appearing first in the SLC board exam of 1975, and getting many opportunities, Mr. Thapa decided to join civil service considering it as a noble means of serving the people. As an architect with expertise in housing and urban development, Thapa possesses a special interest in conservation of cultural heritage and biodiversity of the urban areas. He has a Bachelor’s degree in architecture and a Master’s degree in urban planning. He was a Humphrey Fellow at the EJB School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University.

Ph.D. degree in Agricultural Science from Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan in 2007. He is Associate Academician at Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST). He served as member of the Climate Change Council, Government of Nepal (2015-2018). Dr. Pokhrel served as a visiting research fellow at Department of Biosphere-Geosphere Science, Okayama University of Science, Okayama, Japan (October, 2022 – January, 2023), and visiting research scholar at Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan (August, 2013 to January, 2014) and had been research assistant at Laboratory of Forest and Forest Products Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Kyushu, Japan (July, 2003 to March, 2004; April- September, 2007). He has published over forty research peer reviewed papers in national and international journals/publications.

Dr. Siddhartha Bajra Bajracharya is one of the best known conservation biologists of Nepal with over three decades of experience in the field of conservation including as an expert in mountain biodiversity. He is the former Member Secretary and Executive Director of the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC). Among the many nationally and globally important conservation projects he helped develop and institutionalise is South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN), a regional wildlife crime control body in South Asia. Working with international bodies, he has designed, developed, monitored and managed many conservation and livelihood enhancement projects, particularly in the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP). His expertise in the field of community-based conservation, nature-based tourism, protected area management and sustainable livelihood options is globally recognized. Dr. Bajracharya is an associate academician at the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST). He has a PhD from the University of Edinburgh, UK.

Mr. Sharad Chandra Adhikari is a conservation policy, public relations and conservation management expert with over two decades of experience in the fields of public relations, media outreach and management. He is the former Member Secretary of National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC). As the Member Secretary, he led NTNC through the crisis of COVID-19, devising measures to continue its crucial conservation works in spite of the tremendous obstacles posed by the pandemic. During his association with NTNC in different capacities prior to being its Member Secretary,  Mr. Adhikari assisted in the management and coordination of important projects including the "Kalapatthar to Copenhagen Campaign" that organised the historic cabinet meeting of the Government of Nepal at the Mount Everest base camp in 2009. Before NTNC, Mr. Adhikari was the Communication and Public Relations Expert at Nepal's anti-graft constitutional body, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA).

Ms. Jenu Thapa is a seasoned banker with over two decades of experience in the banking and financial sectors of Nepal. In her distinguished career, she has contributed to the development of various banking institutions through her expertise and leadership role in Human Resource Management, Strategic Financial Planning, and Leadership Development. Currently, Ms. Thapa is in the Senior Management Team of Nepal Investment Mega Bank (NIMB). Prior to NIMB, she was the Assistant General Manager at Mega Bank Nepal Limited. Ms. Thapa has an Executive Masters of Business Administration (EMBA) from Pokhara University, and a Masters of Business Studies (MBS) from Tribhuvan University. She has attended various international training programs. She is also a social worker with genuine concern for the need to save the environment.

Brig. Gen. Dilip Rayamajhi (Retd.) is a national security, international terrorism expert as well as an expert on climate change and conservation-related policy of Nepal. He served as the Director of National Parks and Wildlife Protection Directorate of Nepali Army. He joined Nepali Army in 1972 and retired in 2008. He graduated from the Indian Military Academy Dehradun. He is also a graduate of counter terrorism from National Defense University, Washington DC. He has a Diploma in Intelligence course from the UK and a Diploma from Defence Institute of Psychological Research in New Delhi as a Group Testing Officer. Brig. Gen. Rayamajhi commanded the first Peace Enforcement Mission from Nepal in Somalia and served as the Chief of Operations of Nepali Army for seven years. He commanded a brigade during the Maoist insurgency. He also served as the director of military intelligence for three years during the insurgency. Brig. Gen. Rayamajhi is a passionate reader and researcher, and is currently working on a book.

Major General Himalaya Thapa (Retd.) is a national security, foreign policy and public policy expert. He was the Director General of Military Operations during the 2015 earthquake, and was Military Assistant to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) twice. He joined the Royal Nepalese Army in 1978 and received Officer’s Cadet training at the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, UK. He has extensive experience in the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations and has also served as Military Attaché for the UK and France. Currently, Major General Thapa is in the panel of Senior Thematic Experts on National Interests, Foreign Policy and Strategic Affairs for Policy Research Institute (PRI).  He is engaged in various Track II diplomacy and is a member of Rotary Club.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Nepal Police Hemanta Malla (Retd.) is an expert on crime investigation including wildlife crime. In over 30 years with Nepal Police, Malla served in different destinations in various departments and divisions including the police headquarters, police departments, bureaus, divisions and districts in Nepal. Currently, he serves the advisory role to different organisations related to conservation, especially on issues of combating wildlife crime including poaching and control of illegal trade of wildlife parts. DIG Malla represented Nepal Police in the United Nations in different capacities.

Dr. Chandra Prasad Pokharel is an agriculture and climate expert. He is a Professor of Botany at the Central Department of Botany at the Tribhuvan University. Dr. Pokhrel is Associate Academician at Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and a member of the Climate Change Council, Government of Nepal. His expertise and research interests include preserving agricultural biodiversity of Nepal. He has a Ph.D. in Agricultural Science from Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan. 

Mr. Chungba Sherpa is an acclaimed photographer of Nepal with decades of experience in the tourism sector in Nepal's mountainous region. He has over seven years of experience in highland and lowland wildlife photography. Mr. Sherpa captured the rare Himalayan Yak "Dong" which was believed to have been extinct. His photos have been used in numerous strategic documents of conservations in Nepal. He has also presented on the subject of conservation on various platforms. For his contributions, Mr. Sherpa has been felicitated by the Nepal government and various organisations. A dedicated social worker, Mr. Sherpa hails from a mountain village at the base of Mount Everest.

Ms. Helina Rai has a decade-long cross-sector experience in the areas of communication, child protection, education, and community development. She started her career as a journalist covering women and children rights issues at Nepal Television. She is now a development professional focusing on education, child protection and youths. Currently, she is pursuing Mphil-Phd in Sociology from Tribhuvan University.