Team

Dr. Pukar Malla has been leading parallel careers as a leadership coach, community organizer, and innovation specialist. As Founder and Executive Director of a leadership non-profit, Daayitwa, he has been organizing youth to lead innovative solutions in the government, business and civil society sectors. As a Former Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School, he investigated and piloted frameworks for communities of innovators to lead change. As a Senior Innovation Policy Specialist at the World Bank, he supported the Indian, Chinese and Ghanaian governments to promote innovation and inclusive growth. Prior to that, he led technology designs at Intel, AMD, Silicon Graphics, and a Silicon Valley start-up, and secured 2 US patents. He received his Bachelors from Swarthmore College, with a focus on engineering and economics. He spent 3 years at Cornell, attaining a MS/PhD in Electrical Engineering with a Minor in Business Management. He earned his MPA from Harvard Kennedy School. While at Harvard, he also led the university-wide Harvard Graduate Student Government as its elected President.

Susit has an interdisciplinary background in coaching, public policy, finance and management. He has a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) with a Certificate in Public Finance. He is an alumnus of the University of California at Berkeley (UC Berkeley) and the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), where he studied on full scholarship.

Apurba K.C. is an advocate at Nepal Bar Council. She’s a Dean’s List law and liberal arts graduate of Tribhuvan University. She has built foundational experience in leadership, youth engagement and advocacy through her leadership in YUWA as an executive board member (2016-2018). Her internship at the International Legal Foundation counselling indigent clients, and work with The Carter Center as an LTO Assistant during Nepal’s legislative elections of 2017, fuelled her interest in working with the grassroots communities. Building on this passion, she has been working at Nepal Leadership Academy since January 2018, conducting research, design, and evaluation of NLA’s leadership courses. She has worked as Coaching Advisor in 20 leadership courses including cohorts belonging to Daayitwa Public Service Fellowship 2018 and Yuwa Aaja Campaigners 2018. She is deeply interested in interventions synergizing leadership, law and governance.

Juni has a master’s in Politics and International Relations from Japan, with a deep understanding of global dynamics and socio-political structures. With a keen interest in women’s development and leadership in Nepal. Having spent time teaching English to children, she holds a profound appreciation for cross-cultural exchange and recognizes the transformative power of education. In her role, she is dedicated to understanding and addressing challenges in socio-economic development in Nepal. She is actively engaged in interdisciplinary initiatives to enhance effective leadership and drive positive change in these sectors.

Dilasha is the Communications and Outreach Coordinator. With expertise in strategic communication, she drives engagement, manages public relations, and cultivates connections with stakeholders. Dilasha plays a pivotal role in enhancing the organization’s public image and amplifying its impact through effective outreach initiatives. She also provides relevant support to other entities of Daayitwa Abhiyaan.

At NLA, she is involved as the Finance and Administrative Coordinator. At present, Srijana heads the finance team and is responsible for all matters related to Finance. She is passionate about numbers.

PEOPLE’S OPERATION COORDINATOR

Shreeti is pursuing her undergraduate degree in Development Studies at Kathmandu University School of Arts as a fully funded scholar from the South Asia Foundation. She has prior experience in program coordination and research in various developmental organizations, from managerial to grassroots levels, in education, socioeconomic, and media-related projects. In her position, she is actively engaged in assisting the chairperson of the organization, to enhance effective communication and partnership both internally and externally.

Entrepreneurship Expert

Consultant (2024-2025), Governance Fellowship Project