Meet Our Founding Team Members
Dr. Bimal Raj Regmi
Dr. Bimal Raj Regmi has over 23 years of experience in climate change and natural resource management. Dr. Bimal Raj Regmi has over 23 years of experience in climate change and natural resource management. He earned a PhD from Flinders University in South Australia under the Australian Leadership Award (ALA). Dr. Regmi is a Chairperson of ClimAdapt, senior associate at IIED, senior consultant at OPM, and the temporary technical Director at ICCCAD, where he works on cutting-edge topics such as climate financing, governance, loss and damage, and adaptation policies and practices. He is also involved in i) assisting the Nepalese government in advancing the mountain and loss and damage agenda in the UNFCCC; ii) building a Green, Resilient, Inclusive Development (GRID) strategic action plan; and iii) developing a green taxonomy for the Nepal Rastra bank. Dr Regmi is a member of the National Environment Protection and Climate Change Management Council led by the PM of Nepal.
Dr. Popular Gentle
Dr Popular has over 25 years of experience in research, policy, program interface with a primary focus on climate change adaptation, natural resource governance, livelihoods, poverty reduction, and gender equality and social inclusion - mainly with international development and research organizations. Dr Popular has accomplished his PhD in climate change adaptation from Charles Sturt University in Australia, where he is also an adjunct senior research fellow from 2014 to date. From June 2023-July 2024, Dr Popular served as a Climate Change and Environment Advisor to the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister of Nepal. Dr Popular has obtained Masters degree in Forestry from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand and a Masters in Ecology from the Tribhuvan University, Nepal. His past assignments include Asst. Country Director for CARE International in Nepal (2015-2018), Team Leader- Oxford Policy Management (2018-19) and Country Director for Ipas USA in Nepal from 2019-2022. His research has been extensively published on topics including climate change adaptation, livelihoods, natural resource governance, poverty, and gender.
Prakriti Koirala
Prakriti Koirala holds a master's degree in Environmental Science with a specialization in climate change. She began her journey as an activist in 2016, driven by a passion for environmental and social justice. Actively engaged in research-based advocacy, Prakriti has been involved in international climate change negotiations since 2021, focusing on loss and damage as a negotiator from Nepal. She also serves as the global youth coordinator for the Least Developed Countries Group. As a member of the Loss and Damage Youth Coalition, Prakriti is part of an international network dedicated to pushing for ambitious global action on loss and damage issues. Her dedication to the cause and her commitment to environmental conservation and climate justice is inspired by her name- Prakriti (nature).
Jony Mainaly
Jony Mainaly is a lawyer based in Kathmandu and brings over ten years of experience in the field of law and policy. Her research-based experience spans environmental, climate change, employment, and tax law. Currently, she serves as a senior manager at UK Property Accountants, a UK based firm specializing in, but not limited to, property accounting and tax planning and finance. In the past and partly currently she works to promote climate justice, environmental conservation and sustainable development in Nepal and beyond through research, advocacy, litigation and advisory services. Ms. Mainaly through her research acumen has authored several academic papers, book chapters and research reports in the field of environmental and climate justice. She has recently submitted a book chapter on “Different Dimensions of Environmental Justice in Nepal: Reflection on Legal, Policy and Judicial Arrangements” for Environmental Justice in Nepal: Origins, Struggles and Prospects, Routledge Press (forthcoming) 2024. Ms. Mainaly was awarded the Fulbright Scholarship to complete her LL.M with an Environmental Law Certificate from Duke University School of Law (2013-14). She also served as a member of Environmental Law Committee of Nepal Bar Association for two terms (2015-17 & 2017-19).
Regan Sapkota
Mr. Regan Sapkota brings over a decade of expertise in climate change, disaster risk reduction and natural resource research and management. He holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Science, specializing in climate change. His diverse portfolio includes risk assessment, project development and implementation, provision of technical support, and facilitation of policy formulation processes for strengthening sustainable development practices and resilience-building. Throughout his distinguished career, Mr. Sapkota has forged strategic partnerships with numerous governmental, non-governmental organizations, bilateral and multilateral organizations. His regional collaborations include work with The World Bank, ICIMOD, IWMI, OPM, and Practical Action, significantly advancing research and practical applications related to climate change. He also works as the visiting faculty at Nepal Open University and is involved in the development of curriculum or training module. In his recent work, he has closely worked with the government for the development of Multi hazard risk Assessment Framework, Green Finance Taxonomy, strategic action plan for Green Resilient Inclusive Development, sectoral vulnerability and risk assessment, development of loss and damage framework including several other. Over the years, Mr. Sapkota have contributed to the community through the publication of several of peer reviewed journal, report and policy documents.