Board of Directors

Dibesh Karmacharya, PhD
Chairman / Chief Executive Officer BIOVAC Nepal Pvt. Ltd.
Dibesh Karmacharya has a Conservation Biology degree from Wayne State College, USA and a PhD on Conservation and Microbiome Genetics from Griffith University, Australia. He worked extensively in the US for Caliper Lifesciences in New Jersey as a research scientist (transgenic animal models). He promoted Genomics and Proteomics technology platforms for GE Healthcare Lifesciences in the US and Canada. He founded the Center for Molecular Dynamics Nepal (CMDN), a wildlife genetics and clinical epidemiology research center and is the Chairman and Executive Director of the Organization. He also founded Intrepid Nepal Pvt. Ltd.-a molecular diagnostics-based Biotechnology Company, and Intrepid Cancer Diagnostics-a leading cancer diagnostic laboratory. He leads several innovative researches in Nepal including building Nepal’s first genetic database of wild tigers through Nepal Tiger Genome Project. He is the Principal Investigator of PREDICT Nepal project-an emerging pandemic threat project.

Padmasana Shakya
Founder/ Chairperson Manushi Pvt. Ltd.
Padmasana Shakya has a Master in Economics and is devoted in social work and women issues. She established Manushi in 1991 to create employment opportunities for poor and disadvantaged women by providing entrepreneurial skill. Manushi is addressing gender issues and its goal is to promote gender equality in the promotion of sustainable development, enhance social and economic status of women and put women in the forefront of human development. She has been awarded with Gorkha Dakshin Bahu, Education Day Prize, Gold medal in Social Service by Government of Nepal. Internationally she has been decorated with Priyadarshani Award (2015), as an outstanding Women Entrepreneur by Federation of Indian Women Entrepreneur and Mohamad Islam Design Award (2015), Italy by WFTO. She was former chairperson and advisor of Fair Trade Group Nepal, Chairperson of Micro Credit Association of Nepal and a member of Asian Peoples Fund, Japan, Federation of Handicraft Association Nepal and Lalitpur Chamber of Commerce and Industries. She is an Executive Secretary of South Asian Women Development Forum and Member of Zonta International Club Nepal.

Willem Grimminck
Director One to Watch
Willem is the founder of One to Watch, one of Nepal's first Fund Managers. He started One to Watch with a vision - to build successful companies in Nepal, together with Nepali entrepreneurs and impact investors from around the world. Inspired by the wealth of business opportunities in Nepal, Willem has not only been using his own knowledge and expertise to build successful companies, he also actively engages to attract industry knowledge and expertise from other places. Willem understands the potential that lies behind the challenging exterior of the Nepali economy, making him and One to Watch a pioneer in this industry here in Nepal. One to Watch works with small and medium sized companies focusing on basic needs - food, infrastructure and healthcare, companies that create impact as well as profits. Till date One to Watch has invested in 15 SMEs in Nepal, in the missing middle, investing a total of 4 million Euros. Its signature business acceleration program - Rockstart Impact, has received more than 600 applications and has successfully accelerated 38 companies.