One Million Leaders Asia (OMLAS) Fellowship program is a flagship program of NELIS – Next Leaders’ Initiative for Sustainability.
Vision
Our vision is to empower one million nexgen leaders and social innovators for a better and more sustainable Asia by 2030.
Mission
This mission is to connect, empower and inspire nextgen leaders in Asia by providing them with a platform and the necessary skills to make a positive impact in their communities and countries.
Advisory Board Members
Basanta Shrestha
Basanta Shrestha, an esteemed professional with 32 years of dedicated service at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), held the distinguished position of Director of Strategic Cooperation. With a solid foundation in engineering and an extensive background in digital technologies, strategic partnership development, resource mobilization, and leadership, Mr. Shrestha has left an indelible mark on sustainable mountain development initiatives in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region and across the globe.
Mr. Shrestha co-founded the Mountain Environment and Resources Information System (MENRIS) program, pioneering the utilization of earth observation and geospatial technologies for sustainable mountain development. His stewardship has resulted in groundbreaking collaborations with NASA and USAID, notably through the SERVIR-Himalaya program, which bridges technology and innovation for reducing climate change impacts and addressing mountain development challenges.
Passionate about environmental conservation, Mr. Shrestha actively engages in promoting green technology for sustainable living. His dedication to fostering collaboration and innovation continues to inspire a new generation of leaders in Nepal and beyond. Inspired by nature, he is currently living in a Hamro Matoghar (mud house) at Godavari, Kathmandu, practicing an eco-conscious living to inspire youth towards future sustainability.
Anil Keshary Shah
After a career in banking spanning 31 years, during which he served as the Chief Executive Officer of two banks for 17 years, Anil Shah established Lead Nepal Inc., an organisation with the vision of 'Crafting Leaders'. In addition to his stellar banking career, Mr. Shah is also a youth icon, mentoring youth across Nepal by sharing his experiences and propagating value-based leadership. He was the first Nepali CEO of Nepal’s first joint venture bank, Nabil Bank, and successfully led the bank to become the no. 1 financial institution in Nepal, successfully realising its vision to be the nation’s ‘Bank of 1st Choice’. He then established and headed Mega Bank with the vision of establishing a bank for all strata of Nepali society with the vision of ‘Being the Bank for Every Nepali for Ploughing to Power’. Today the bank is one of the biggest financial institutions in the nation. Now Mr. Shah provides learning experiences to companies, political parties, bureaucrats, armed forces and students to enable them to be better leaders. He is an prominent figure in Nepal who is looked up to by people of all ages and across all strata of society for his vision, clarity of communication and value-based leadership.
Peter David Pedersen
Peter is a Co-founder and Executive Director of NELIS (Next Leaders' Initiative for Sustainability), and currently a Professor of Sustainability and Innovation at Shizenkan University, Tokyo. He was born in Denmark and has been a resident of Japan for 30+ years. Peter is dedicated to empowering the next generation of sustainability leaders, both in corporations and in the global NELIS community.
Shravan Shankar
Shravan is a Co-founder of Climake, a growth platform for early-stage climate tech startups in India to access markets and innovative financing options. He has over 13 years of experience working in sustainable development with organisations across Asia and Europe, and in developing national policies in India and Sri Lanka.
He is also a Co-founder of AtWorks, an impact entrepreneurship ecosystem builder that has worked with over 400 startups. AtWorks was recognised as a circular economy solution for India by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Shravan has also been recognized with a National Award on Smart City Solutions by the government of India.
Team
Boon Liang Loh
Boon is one of the directors of the Singapore local chapter of NELIS. He was a former lecturer of English language from National University of Singapore and has published research in the Astrophysical Journal. Currently, he is the managing editor of a self-founded company, Boon Editing. He began his journey in sustainability in 2017, when he began making regular monthly donations to the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), a global charity for nature conservation. In 2018 he created 3 public groups on Facebook and meetup.com to regularly share events, articles and videos related to environmentalism and sustainability. The aim was to build local and global online communities that are interested in these topics, and spark discussions and connections among people who wish to build a better world. Since taking on his role at NELIS Singapore in 2021, he hopes to help inspire more people to start their own initiatives for sustainability. As part of the OMLAS organising team, Boon is keen to help the youth of Asia.
Harshana Shrestha
Harshana is a co-founder of Next Emerging Leaders Initiative for Sustainability (NELIS) Nepal. She has 12 years of experience as an engineer in development sector of Nepal. She is an advocate for nature based solutions. Through NELIS Nepal and OMLAS Fellowship Program, she is dedicated to empower and inspire next generation leaders in Asia.
Rashmi Kiran Shrestha
Rashmi Kiran Shrestha is a co-founder and an executive chairperson of Next Emerging Leaders Initiative for Sustainability (NELIS) Nepal. Rashmi leads One Million Leaders Asia (OMLAS) Fellowship Program, a flagship program of NELIS Global. She has 15 years of research experience in water, food and energy sector in Nepal and India. Through NELIS Nepal and OMLAS Fellowship Program, she is dedicated to empower one million next generation sustainability leaders across Asia region. She believes that if next generation are rightly mentored, empowered and inspired, there is a hope for future of this planet.