Avish Acharya
Division Director
Avish Acharya has been a Toastmaster since 2015. A member at Laxmi Bank Toastmasters Club, he has collected his fair share of notches on his leadership belt from Club President to Area Director of Area A5 for 2019/20 and now the Division Director of Division O, District 41 for the year 2020/21. Professionally, he is a financial sector professional with over a decade of experience in consulting and banking. His niche is financial strategy planning and training. He is a prolific writer and a voracious reader and learner. Currently heading Finance and Treasury functions at Laxmi Bank and is also a faculty of Risk Assessment and Insurance at Kathmandu College of Management.
Prashant Shrestha
Area Director, Area O1
Competent Communicator Toastmaster Prashant Shrestha is Area O1 Director, Division O, District 41, Toastmasters International for the term 2020-21. He is also the past president of Himalaya Toastmasters Club and recipient of Agile and President’s Distinguished Area Director for the term 2019-2020. Professionally, he works in the field of communication and marketing and enjoys drafting stories and creating visuals to support the representing cause. He is a fervent self-learner and an avid reader with a keen interest in environmental sustainability. His recent entrepreneurial ventures include energy saving home lighting systems and hydroponics gardening.
Biraj Pradhan
Area Director, Area O2
A Fellow chartered Certified accountant with an MBA degree, Biraj Pradhan is a passionate toastmaster and currently a freelancer with two decades of experience in private sectors. He is a specialist in NFRS and Advance Excel. Currently he is a consultant at UNDP for Biodiversity Investment for the Private Sector in Nepal. At Toastmasters he has served as the Charter President of Professionals Toastmasters Club and is currently the Area Director of Area 3, Division O, District 41 for the year 2020/21. COVID-19 pandemic has changed his hiking and physical socialising hobbies to listening to inspirational stories and volunteering for a cause.
Jenny Manandhar
Area Director, Area O2
Jenny Manandhar is the Area O3 director of Division O for the term 2020-2021. Previously, she has served as the program quality director (PQD) for Area A4 for 2019-2020. She is also the Charter President at Rato Bangala Toastmasters club 2018-2019. A devoted and enthusiastic toastmaster since 2018, her home club is Rato Bangala toastmasters club. She believes toastmasters is a platform where practice your communication and leadership skills and be confident in your professional career. This is an organisation which helps us to stay positive and make connections with likeminded people. Professionally, TM Jenny has been an educator since 2004. Currently she is working as the unit 1 coordinator at Rato Bangala School and looks after the primary wing. She is empathetic and loves to work with students. She feels she is driven when she connects with her students and staff. She enjoys her friend’s company and loves to dance and cook.
Pankaj Pradhananga
Division Mentor
Pankaj Pradhananga comes with an experience in Tourism industry over 2 decades. He holds an MBA from Kathmandu University School of Management (KUSOM) with a specialization in CRM (Marketing). He is a Director of Four Season Travel & Tours, Charter President of Tourism Toastmasters club and also an adjunct faculty member at ACE Institute of Management in Kathmandu. He is a consultant / trainer for Washington DC based, International Development Institute. He is considered to be a pioneer of Inclusive Tourism initiatives in the Himalayan region. He has been a resource person in number of training on leadership / personal development. He has spoken in various workshops / conferences on Responsible Tourism and delivered Guest lectures in Nepal, Europe and the USA. He was featured on the cover page of Toastmasters Int’l magazine’s global issue of Dec 2018.
Dipesh Chalise
Division Program Quality Director
Dipesh Chalise is the Program Quality Director (PQD) for Division O for the term 2020-21. Previously, he has served as the Area Club Growth Director (CGD) for Area A5 for 2019-20. A passionate toastmaster since 2016, his home club is Laxmi Bank Toastmasters Club, where he is currently the Club President, after having served as the VP-Education and Secretary in previous years. He believes Toastmasters is a laboratory, where you test and experiment with your skills required to accomplish greater things in life. Professionally, TM Dipesh is a banker working with Laxmi Bank since 2013, where he currently heads the Financial Control unit. Professionally inclined towards financial management, his hobbies include travelling and sports.
Kumar Thapa
Program Quality Director
An education manager with over twenty-five years in the field, Kumar is an avid ever learner experimenting ways to enhance the growth of students, educators and parents adopting contemporary approaches to teaching & learning. His qualifications and professional engagement hinge mostly on education management, leadership and psychology. An adventure enthusiast, socialite and a father of two daughters, TM Kumar Thapa is keen on meeting people to have conversations on society, learning, parenting, adventure and futuristic possibilities including careers. Currently, the Principal at Brihaspati Vidyasadan, he has been with Toastmasters for over 12 years with a sabbatical of about 7 years in between. The Club President of Bodhi Toastmasters Club, Kumar is also Division O Program Quality Director for the term 2020-21.
Chandrayan Shrestha
Division Club Growth Director
Chandrayan Shrestha is an educationist and has been in this profession for more than 3 decades now. He is the Immediate Past Chair of Sakshyam Yuwa Nepal (SYN), an NGO, which offers the Duke of Edinburgh International Award here in Nepal. Chandrayan loves travelling and exploring nature. He enjoys taking students and teachers to explore different parts of the country and is a follower of Permaculture. He enjoys music and loves to sing and play the guitar with family and friends. He is also a good cook and enjoys experimenting with different cuisines. Recently, he has developed this passion of public speaking as it was only in 2018 that he joined toastmasters. At toastmaster in Nepal, he has enjoyed visiting almost all the clubs in Nepal and has been part of the leadership team as the Area Club Growth Director(CGD) in 2019 – 2020 and now the Division O CGD for the team 2020 2021. Currently, he is the Principal of Malpi International School.
Asira Khanal
PR and Planning Manager
Asira Khanal is a vivacious toastmaster fueled by curiosity and exploration. A business and economics student, she likes to dabble in many areas of interests, boasting of a myriad of opinions and being a limitless soul. Professionally, she’s the Business Development Executive at Luxury Group of Companies and has been actively involved in providing business development consulting services to various social ventures. At Toastmasters, she has been the District Champion of Table Topics Contest 2019/20, the District 2nd Runner Up of Speech Evaluation Contest 2018/19 and has served as the President of Himalaya Toastmasters Club for the term 2019/20. She is currently the PR and Planning Manager of Division O, District 41. She likes reading fictions and biographies and is a fervent netizen. Her recent indulgences are watching documentaries on global mind-blowing infrastructural constructions.
Ekta Lamichhane
Division Secretary
Ekta Lamichhane is a Development professional with demonstrated history of working in non-profit organizations. Skilled in Negotiation, Public Speaking, and International Relations she has a Master’s degree focused in conflict peace and development studies from the Department of Conflict, Peace and Development Studies at Tribhuvan University. Currently, she is Program Officer at Maiti Nepal and is specifically focused in activities to curb child sexual exploitation of children (CSC) and human trafficking. Ekta started her Toastmasters journey in the year 2016 with Himalaya Toastmasters Club and has been a member since. Over the years, she has served in various capacities from Sergeant At Arms, Treasurer, Vice President of Membership. She was also the Associate Program Quality Director at Division A (2019-20) and was responsible for supporting institutions willing to start Gavel clubs, a Toastmasters affiliate for individuals under 18 year old. She is currently the Vice President of Education at her club and the Division Secretary at Division O (2020-21). Ekta is a passionate dancer and a music enthusiast.