Pitambar Prasad Acharya

Executive Director

Pitambar Prasad Acharya, Executive Director of Development Project Service Centre (DEPROSC-Nepal), is one of the pioneers of poverty reduction initiatives at the grass root level in Nepal. Mr. Acharya along with other like-minded people conceived DEPROSC Nepal, an NGO, thirty-two years back with the notion of bringing excluded, poor, minorities, women and Dalits, marginalized groups, particularly those living in rural parts of Nepal into the development mainstream that giving rise to their livelihoods, social development and self-dignity in 1993.

He has successfully established two microfinance banks in Nepal namely; Deprosc Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Ltd. (2001) and NADEP Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Ltd. (2015). He has served as a Founder Chair of DEPROSC Nepal, and Deprosc Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Ltd. for years. He has given his leadership in Microfinance Association of Nepal (MIFAN) as a Chair and Centre for Microfinance as a Vice-chair. In addition, NADEP Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha is still growing under his Chairmanship. Mr. Acharya is one of the designers to organize Microfinance Summits in Nepal since 2008. Lately, in 2017, he successfully accomplished the fourth Microfinance Summit under this chairmanship.

Mr. Acharya has contributed into a range of national, regional and international level seminars, dialogues and conferences. He has led a number of research and study for various donors and international agencies. Mr. Acharya has served for more than 20 years in the Agricultural Development Bank of Nepal and is still equally active with his enriched working experience of more than 55 years. He is a graduate on Commerce and Law from TU, Nepal, and Post Graduate on Regional Development and Planning from Israel.

Kailash Rijal

Director

Mr. Kailash Rijal, Master on Business Administration (MBA) in Finance from Tribhuvan University, Nepal (1996 AD) and Master of Arts (MA) in Development Studies from International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Erasmus University, The Netherlands (2007 AD), is involved in the project proposal preparation, project implementation, stakeholder’s interaction, and policy dialogue at the national and international level.

His areas of engagement range from microfinance to food security, livelihoods to entrepreneurship development, natural resource management, DRR and humanitarian response. He has performed as Chief of Party/Team Leader in number of projects including that of USAID’s Business Literacy Program in Nepal, funded by donors like USAID/Nepal, Danish Embassy, German Technical Assistance (GIZ), Canadian Cooperation Office, Helvetas Nepal, Save the Children, Canadian Centre for International Studies and Cooperation, PLAN International etc. 

His Post-graduation Diploma in Development-oriented Research in Agricultural (ICRA, 2002) in Wageningen, The Netherlands has become very much instrumental for the research and studies at DEPROSC Nepal (https://www.findevgateway.org/paper/2010/02/client-retention-and-overlapping ).

Moreover, Mr. Rijal has contributed to the field of microfinance as Board Director for more than 8 years in Deprosc Microfinance Financial Institution and formulating NADEP Microfinance financial institution.

Ganesh Kumar K.C.

Program Advisor

Mr. Ganesh Kumar K.C. is an agriculture specialist with extensive experience in the sector. He has served Government of Nepal for 39 long years in various capacities including, Agriculture Policy Specialist, National Program Director, Plant Protection & Pest Management and Post-Harvest Specialist, Project Manager and many more. He started his career in Nepal Civil Services as Research Entomologist and worked up to top policy level position of Agriculture Secretary in Government of Nepal. Multi-disciplinary team leadership, stakeholder relations, human resource development through capacity building and various technical trainings, agriculture policy analysis, agriculture commercialization and market system analysis and post-harvest loss management are some of his key areas of expertise. In addition, he had worked as an “Institutionalization Support Expert” in FAO/Government of Nepal’s “Integrated Pest Management Project (IPM) and as Micro Irrigation and Water Resource Utilization expert in WINROCK International and IDE.

Mr. K.C. is currently involved in DEPROSC Nepal as Program Advisor. Project design, implementation, supervision, monitoring and evaluation of agriculture and livelihood improvement projects, natural resources management and micro finance programs, Sanitary and phyto-sanitary policy for strengthening plant quarantine capacity, Policy support in various aspects of Livelihood, Natural resource management, Economic reintegration of returnees’ migrant workers are few of his key responsibilities.

Bed Prasad Shiwakoti

Management Advisor

Krishna Prasad Neupane

Deputy Director

Krishna Prasad Neupane is serving as a Deputy Director at DEPROSC-Nepal, central office, Kathmandu. He is a Master in Humanities with experiences in different sectors for last 30 years, such as in teaching, facilitation to INGOs from government side, public relation, project development and implementation. He has implemented development projects funded by UNICEF, USAID, WFP, DFID, UNDP, GIZ, EU, DANIDA, OXFAM, JOA etc. He has served as a Business Literacy Director (on behalf of DEPROSC-Nepal) in KISAN II project funded by USAID and led by Winrock International.

His key competences are for disaster risk management, business skills development, social development, organizational management, monitoring and evaluation. His skills are sound in project proposal, budgeting, HR recruitment, motivation, conflict sensitive program development, M&E plan development etc. He has keen interest in contemporary affairs, social and development issues of Nepal.

Bibek Kandel

Finance Department Head

Bibek Kandel is a fellow member of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, UK. He did his accounting/auditing training from JBRH & Co. Chartered Accountants and Kuber & Co. Chartered Accountants before engaging with DEPROSC-Nepal. Mr. Kandel is an accomplished professional with extensive expertise in financial management and business operation through formulation of management policies, strategies and procedures. He is a resourceful problem solver with proven ability in more than fifteen years of professional experience to conceptualize solutions under challenging situations and maximize success.

Mr. Kandel is responsible for overall financial management and operational planning & execution of DEPROSC-Nepal. His key skills in data analysis, data quality assurance, strategic leadership and stakeholders/ community engagement, had led him to engage with several other consulting roles like Data Analytics and Private Sector Engagement. He is an enthusiastic learner and often take initiative in e-learning to grow his potentials.

Shila Thapa

Thematic Lead: Livelihood and Entrepreneurship

Shila Thapa Swar is an accomplished agricultural professional with extensive experiences in spanning over two decades. She holds a Master's degree in Agricultural Systems from the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, and a Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Science from the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Rampur, Nepal. Currently, Shila serves as the Thematic Lead for Livelihood and Entrepreneurship at Development Project Service Center (DEPROSC-Nepal). In this role, she is instrumental in shaping strategic initiatives, developing project proposals, and establishing partnerships with donors and agribusiness firms. Her responsibilities include analysis of business environments, formulating implementation guidelines, and overseeing projects and research activities.

Shila's previous experience includes a notable tenure as Deputy Director of Agribusiness and Policy at Agro Enterprise Center/FNCCI which is an apex organization of private sector in Nepal, where she led agribusiness policy activities, coordinated with government agencies, and managed high-profile projects. Her career also features roles in project coordination and research with organizations like FORWARD Nepal, and consulting positions with Helen Keller International and Center for Agriculture and Environmental Research and Development. Shila has participated in numerous national and international conferences and training programs, reflecting her dedication to agricultural development and policy advocacy. Her career is marked by a strong commitment to enhancing agricultural systems and supporting economic development through effective project management and strategic partnerships.

Rita Paudel

Monitoring and Evaluation Manager

Ms. Rita Paudel has been serving in DEPROSC Nepal since 2005 in various capacities starting as an Account Officer. She has a Master in Business Studies (MBS) in Finance (T.U. 2008 AD) and a Master of Science (MSc) in Urban Management and Development Studies from IHS of Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (2015 AD). She has good expertise in the field of microfinance, humanitarian response, localization, women empowerment, and inclusion issues.

Ms. Paudel leads the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) section. Besides, she is involved in the Samunnati Digital Finance Project jointly implemented by DEPROSC-Nepal and Practical Action under the financial support of Jersey Overseas Aid (JOA) as a Training Manager. In addition, she has been serving as a Public Director in Deprosc Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited.

Rajendra Kumar Shrestha

Program Manager- Engineering

Mr. Rajendra Kumar Shrestha is an energetic, experienced, and dedicated personality. He is a Civil engineer with more than 25 years of professional experience in the field of civil engineering such as detail survey, design and estimate of rural drinking water supply, micro irrigation, micro hydro, rural road, school/ community buildings, suspended bridges etc. He has been associated with DEPROSC Nepal more than two decades as technical manager.

Purna Paudel

Administrative Manager

Mr. Purna Prasad Paudel is serving DEPROSC Nepal as an Administration Manager. He has more than 25 years of experience in development activities implemented by different NGOs. He has been involved in microfinance, agroforestry, development of community and leasehold forestry, advocacy, micro insurance, Safer migration and reintegration of returnee migrant workers program. In addition, he is experienced in leading of field teams and mobilization of them, coordinating with NGOs and government stakeholders, surveys and studies related to rural development, organize and facilitate the various types of training related to above mention program. He also knows about preparing financial literacy and financial management modules for targeted people either remittance-receiving or non-receiving and project completion reports as well as administrative works too.

Ashmi Duwadi

Program Manager

Sarita Thapa

Account Officer

Matrika Bhandari

Account Officer

Milan Thapaliya

Communication & Documentation Assistant

Rup Lal Chaudhary

Driver

Bhim Bahadur Budathoki

Driver

Binda Khatiwada

Office Assistant

Dipak Khatiwada

Office Assistant