NEWS

Robin Amatya, a social entrepreneur, is a Chairman of NPCM Investment Co and a former CEO of SAARC Business Association of Home-Based Workers (SABAH Nepal). He has over 20 years of professional experience in the management of a range of businesses such as manufacturing, product design & development, restaurant, tourism, and private investment. 

He is a Business (Management and Marketing) graduate from University College Dublin, Ireland and Central Queensland University, Australia is now recognized as one of the key and experienced individuals working daily with micro-enterprises and home-based artisanal workers in a variety of sectors.

Some of his achievements in the establishment of credible social enterprises include SABAH, The Village Café, The Village by Sabah, Kailash, Himalica, Bunga, and SABAH Consumer Cooperative. These brands facilitate the sale of Crafts, Textiles, Fashion, Furnishings, Local cuisines, Agro products, and Tourism products created by marginalized communities especially women and youth using small-scale technology with locally available resources and indigenous skills.

Besides, he has extensive experience in the management of various multi-sectoral projects such as Business Enterprise and Employment Support (BEES), South Asia Regional Trade Facilitation Project (SARTFP) funded by the World Bank which was implemented in BBIN countries of South Asia. Furthermore, he has also managed Trans boundary landscape projects inclusive of a minimum of three countries of South Asia which involved cross-border learning, trade, etc. He has rich experience in managing cross-border projects in South Asian countries, which has inculcated working dynamics amongst various communities of South Asia.

At the project implementation level, he has spearheaded the research activities required to determine the nature of the Trade Facilitation Centre (TFC) to be established and lead the activities leading to the establishment of the TFC. While working with marginalized communities with very minimal formal education, it was always challenging to have the best possible plan to educate the beneficiaries of the projects thus, he meticulously designed the SABAH business model which has been an inspiration to many development projects in South Asia which has managed to secure several project funding from credible funding agencies such as USAID, EU, World Bank, FAO, ICIMOD, IUCN, and various UN agencies.  

His social contribution to the sustainable development of like-minded organizations has led to taking active leadership in a collective marketing team of regional community-based organizations promoting products and services produced by Women Home Based Workers (HBW) of South Asian countries. Besides, as a General Secretary of SABAH Consumer Cooperative, he actively promoted the operation of community-based consumer cooperatives working in the production and marketing of agro-based products. He has also served on the governing board of SAARC Chamber Crafts Village which promotes products made by marginalized women entrepreneurs of South Asia. He also served as a board director of Siddhartha Development Bank, a credible development bank of Nepal. Similarly, his contribution to the promotion of Nepalese crafts led to serving in the Handicraft Design and Development Center promoted by the Federation of Handicraft Association of Nepal.