CNIYEF elects new governing council at 8th AGM in Kathmandu

KATHMANDU: Confederation of Nepalese Industries Young Entrepreneurs Forum (CNIYEF) held its 8th annual general meeting (AGM) in Kathmandu on Friday. The forum unveiled a new governing council and recognised outstanding contributions from members and chapters.

The inaugural session was attended by Dr Pukar Malla, Member of the National Planning Commission (NPC), CNI President Birendra Raj Pandey, outgoing CNIYEF President Manish Shrestha and Learning Chair Sugam Ghimire. Former minister Anil Sinha, NPC members, CNI vice presidents, diplomats, governing council members and media representatives were also present.

CNIYEF President Shrestha gave opening remarks on the forum’s development and its work to empower youth entrepreneurship in Nepal. The ceremony was formally opened with the traditional lighting of the panas, followed by an overview of CNIYEF’s activities and milestones from the Startup Chair, Chirag Sarawagi.

An awards segment recognised individual and chapter achievements. Jitendra Bahatey received the Most Active Member (Male) award and Neha Agrawal won the Most Active Member (Female) award. Sudhigya Pant was presented with the Outstanding Achievement Award for scaling Mount Everest. At an organisational level, the CNIYEF Lumbini Chapter won the Chapter Growth Award and the Koshi Chapter received the Chapter Excellence Award.

The AGM included a pinning ceremony to introduce the incoming governing council, conducted by Dr Malla, CNI President Pandey and other dignitaries. The new board comprises Sugam Ghimire as President, Manish Shrestha as Immediate Past President, Chirag Sarawagi as Learning Chair, Shiny Khetan as Membership and Integration Chair, Nida Doon Malla as Startup, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Chair, Sujeet Regmi as Government and Diplomatic Relations Chair, Punit Agrawal as Communications and Expansion Chair, Yash Agrawal as Strategic Alliance and Communications Chair and Ankur Agrawal as Finance and International Relations Chair. Co‑chairs are Nancy Agrawal, Sachet Manandhar and Chetan Pradhan.

Dr Malla announced an allocation of Rs 500 million for the Enterprise Development Facility and expressed interest in working with CNIYEF on youth‑led enterprise initiatives. Both Dr Malla and CNI President Pandey praised the forum’s role in the country’s economic development and pledged continued support.

Outgoing President Manish Shrestha presented tokens of appreciation to guests, and incoming President Sugam Ghimire delivered the vote of thanks. The formal proceedings concluded with a group photograph and a networking dinner.