Profile

Mr. Lekha Nath Pokhrel is an achievement-oriented Chartered Accountant with over 12 years of experience in commercial banking, investment banking, and governance affairs in Nepal. Born on September 1, 1988, he is based in Kirtipur-Tyanglaphat, Kathmandu, and is fluent in English, Nepali, Hindi, Tharu, and Maithili. He most recently served as Managing Director & CEO of Nepal SBI Merchant Banking Limited (Sept 2023–June 2025), where he demonstrated 40% year-on-year growth in net profit and achieved the third-highest profitability growth in the industry during his first year. Prior to this, he held progressively senior roles at Nepal SBI Bank Ltd. (NSBL), including Head–Madhesh Province, Head of Internal Audit, Head of Accounts Department, and Audit Engagement Manager, building a career that began as an Article Trainee in 2008.

His core competencies span investment banking (capital market development, mergers and acquisitions, foreign direct investment facilitation), commercial banking (managing a province with 20 billion in business exposure across 14 outlets and 95 staff), and governance, risk, and compliance (policy formulation, risk-based audit frameworks, and Audit Committee support). He is also experienced in workplace investigations, regulatory liaison, tax planning, and financial reporting. He holds a CA qualification from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nepal (2011), where he secured first rank and a Gold Medal in Advanced Financial Reporting. His credentials include a Senior Leadership Program from IIM-Ahmedabad, CANBI from the National Banking Institute, CAMS certification in anti-money laundering, Certified Forensic Accounting and Fraud Detection (FAFD), an LLB in Company and Tax Law, and an ongoing Executive MBA.

Notable achievements include pioneering Risk-Based Internal Audit implementation at NSBL ahead of regulatory mandates, introducing 12 audit types, identifying over 7 crores in income leakage, and contributing to 37 bank policies and 20 SOPs. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nepal and the Association of Chartered Accountants of Nepal.