Trustee Profiles

Mike Carter

Mike Carter is a behavioural scientist working with large organisations undergoing change as well as the Universities of Exeter and Bath. He lives in Somerset but travels extensively with his work. Mike has been chairman of the charity since it was founded in 2000 and has made several trips to Nepal, his principal role has been to coordinate fund raising activities in the UK. When time permits he plays golf, walks and skis. He is married with three grown up children.

 

John Howell

John Howell is a rural development consultant based in Devon. He has worked in Nepal for more than half the time since 1986, and has travelled throughout the country.  He became involved in the charity from its inception, acting as a key link between UK and Nepal.  His other main interests are hill walking and looking after his garden in Devon, which has many plants from Nepal.

 

Ava Darshan Shrestha

Ava Darshan Shrestha has worked as a Social Development / Gender Consultant for the past two decades. She has a PhD from the School of Social Sciences, University of Bath and a Masters in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.  She has undertaken several research projects related to women in Nepal and her research primarily focuses on poverty, reproductive health, micro credit, employment and empowerment of women. More recently she has been researching on conflict / insurgency and its impact on women. She is the Chairperson of Nagarik Aawaz, an NGO working for conflict affected people and is the treasurer of South Asia Partnership/Nepal. She is also a board member of several other organizations that work towards social and gender equality. Ava's hobbies include reading and social work.

 

Surya P Shrestha

Surya P Shrestha works as a Senior Governance and Capacity Building Officer for the Asian Development Bank at the Nepal Resident Mission at Kathmandu, Nepal. He manages the good governance portfolio (loans, grants and technical assistance) of the Bank in Nepal. Prior to joining the Bank, he worked in senior managerial positions in several public sector agencies in Nepal specializing in training, human resource management and management consultancy. He (and his wife Ava) became involved in the charity from its inception, overseeing the activities in Nepal. Surya holds a PhD in Management from the University of Bath and a MA in Organization Behaviour from Lancaster University. Surya’s hobbies include trekking, playing squash, and photography.