Who We Are

SURAJ VAIDYA

Chairperson

Mr. Suraj Vaidya is the President of Vaidya’s Organization of Industries & Trading Houses (VOITH), which deals in tea exports, automobile imports, agro-industries, construction, and education. One of the most dynamic business houses in Nepal, VOITH employs more than 7,000 people and is committed to raising the living standard of Nepal’s poorest people, the bulk of whom are farmers, by prioritizing investment in particular industries and through corporate social responsibility. Mr. Vaidya is the Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Philippines for Nepal and Promoter of Lumbini General Insurance Co. Ltd. Mr. Vaidya also served as President of the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce & Industry, and Vice – Chair of Lumbini Development Trust. Mr. Vaidya earned his MBA in International Affairs from George Mason University in the United States.

ARUNA UPRETY

Vice Chairperson

Dr. Aruna Uprety is a globally recognized leader on women’s issues within Nepal. She had advocated / lobbied for abortion rights in Nepal, has testified before the United States Congress of issues of women’s trafficking in Nepal, and currently leads the efforts against chhaupadi practices in the Far West region of Nepal. She also had worked as public Health specialist in Iran, Afghanistan, India, Sudan, and Laos from 2002 to 2010.

Dr. Uprety is the author of Health Guidelines for Women with Disabilities, Junk Food and Wrong Advertisement and Its Impacts on Health, and Adolescent Reproductive Health, as well as numerous articles on women’s health and rights. She writes regularly about health and social issues.

SAROJ DHITAL, MD

Treasurer

Dr. Saroj P. Dhital, MD D.Med, is one of the founders of Public Health Concern Trust-Nepal (PHECT). He is also Chief of General Surgery at Kathmandu Model Hospital, Director of Health Sciences and Telemedicine at the Nepal Research and Education Network, and Professor of General Surgery at National Academy of Medical Sciences and overseas Supervisor for FCPS program run by College of Physicians and Surgeons, Pakistan. Dr. Dhital is a major proponent of rural surgery, an active participant in the Citizen’s Movement for Democracy and Peace in Nepal. A member of Medical Working Group of Asia Pacific Advanced Network (APAN), Dr. Dhital has also served as the President of America-Nepal Medical Foundation.

DILEEP AGRAWAL

Secretary

Dileep Agrawal founded and established Nepal’s largest Internet service provider (ISP) in 1995 while attending Bates College in the US. Over the years, WorldLink has registered tremendous sustained growth and provides services ranging from Internet and data connectivity to cloud computing and managed enterprise services. WorldLink has grown to be not only the largest ISP in Nepal, but one of the largest IT services companies employing over 2,900 people throughout the country. Mr. Agrawal is in-charge of overall corporate management, strategy and business development. A recognized pioneer in Nepal’s IT industry, he regularly appears in national and international media. He has co-founded several companies and non-profit organizations and serves on their boards.

SUBINA SHRESTHA

Joint Secretary

Subina Shrestha is an award-winning, Emmy nominated filmmaker and a journalist. From undercover reporting in Myanmar during cyclone Nargis, to investigating child slavery, and to covering Nepal’s earthquake and its aftermath, Subina has steered major news coverage, often as the only international broadcast journalist on the scene; and told stories of people whose lives have been affected by natural and human-made disasters. She’s a 2017 Nieman fellow at Harvard and a 2019 Global Media Makers fellow at Film Independent.

AGYA MAHAT,BDS,MPH

Member

Dr. Agya Mahat, BDS, MPH is an independent global health consultant. She has worked for over 8 years in the health sector for government and non-government agencies, international organizations, and academic institutions across six countries. Most of her recent work has been in health systems research and humanitarian emergencies. She holds a Bachelor of Dental Surgery from de’Montmorency Institute of Dental Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan, and an MPH in Global Health from the University of Washington, Seattle, USA.

BHASKAR RAJ PANT

Member

Dr. Bhaskar Raj Pant, MD is practicing Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon with a primary specialty interest in Joint Replacement, Reconstruction and Trauma. He is the Chief Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon at HAMS Hospital, Nepal. Prior to this, Dr. Bhaskar was the Assistant Director of Joint Replacement and Sports Medicine at Grande International Hospital, Nepal. He did his Fellowship in Joint Replacement and Sports from USA, an advanced course in Joint Replacement from, Switzerland and Knee Fellowship from Japan. He has also pursued Advanced AO Trauma from Thailand and Global Health Delivery course from Harvard University, USA. Dr. Bhas oversees Rural Trauma Care across our service areas in Achham and Dolakha.

KUNDA DIXIT

Member

Mr. Kunda Dixit is the editor and publisher of the Nepali Times. He is a journalism graduate of Columbia University and started his career with BBC Radio in New York. He has been writing on global development and environmental issues for Inter Press Service, where he served as Regional Editor, Asia-Pacific. He was also Regional Director for Panos South Asia. He teaches journalism at Kathmandu University and is visiting faculty at New York University Abu Dhabi, and is the author of the books: ‘Dateline Earth: Journalism As If the Planet Mattered’ and the trilogy on the Nepal conflict, ‘A People War’.