FNCCI appoints Dr Tiwari as director general effective Sept 17

KATHMANDU: Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) has appointed economist and development strategist Dr Gopal Prasad Tiwari as its Director General, effective from September 17.

FNCCI President Anjan Shrestha welcomed the appointment, saying Dr Tiwari’s combination of multilateral credibility, academic rigour and hands‑on private‑sector advocacy comes at a pivotal juncture.

“Dr Tiwari’s deep command of Nepal’s economic framework, paired with his extensive global exposure and stakeholder trust, will elevate FNCCI’s institutional stature. His leadership will be instrumental in sharpening our policy advocacy, executing high‑impact reform agendas, and building a more dynamic, globally competitive landscape for Nepali enterprises,” Shrestha said.

The appointment marks a return to FNCCI for Dr Tiwari, who led the Secretariat as Officiating Director General between 2018 and 2019. He takes up the role with a 25‑year track record in macroeconomic policy, investment reform and public‑private collaboration.

Dr Tiwari has held executive and advisory roles at multilateral institutions and donor agencies, including the International Finance Corporation/World Bank Group, the Asian Development Bank, UNDP and ILO, and most recently served as Director of Private Sector Integration for the USAID Tayar Nepal Project.

His work across Nepal’s financial and commercial sectors includes serving as Director General of the Confederation of Banks and Financial Institutions Nepal, Senior Technical Expert at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, and Strategic Advisor to the Nepal‑German Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

He is Honorary Secretary General of the Nepal Economic Association, a Senior Research Fellow at Norway’s Fil. Dr Jan‑U. Sandal Institute, and a faculty member at Tribhuvan University’s Department of Public Policy, Governance and Anti‑Corruption Studies. Early in his career he worked as a senior economic journalist for national dailies including Kantipur Media Group, The Himalayan Times and Space Time Today.

A central architect of structured public‑private dialogue in Nepal, Dr Tiwari managed the apex‑level Nepal Business Forum under the IFC and contributed to key economic legislation, notably the Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act and the Industrial Enterprises Act.

He holds a PhD in Economics focused on private‑sector competitiveness and has authored works on trade diplomacy and industrial development, including 'Self‑reliant Economy and Potential Sectors for Export Promotion (2023)'.