Founder story
What becomes possible when a woman is truly seen?
Women's Voices of the Himalayas grew out of almost two decades of my stays and work in Nepal, through leadership journeys in the Himalayas and social impact initiatives aligned with the UN SDGs, with a strong focus on access to education, especially for girls.
What began in 2014 as development projects supporting remote schools, orphaned girls in monasteries, and informal mentoring of young women has evolved into a deeper commitment to women's empowerment.
Our community today connects Nepali women leaders, entrepreneurs and changemakers with international senior women executives and leaders, who have themselves often broken through cultural and gender barriers.
The missing ingredient
Often it is not talent. It is connection.
- Someone who sees you.
- Someone who listens.
- Someone who recognises something in you that you may not yet recognise yourself.
- Someone who opens your imagination to what might be possible.
- Someone who believes in you, and roots for you.
Why Nepal
Progress, and the gap that remains
Nepal's progress cannot be reduced to a story of disadvantage. The country has established important legal and political foundations for gender equality, and women's representation in public decision-making is considerably higher than in many countries in the region. Yet significant gaps remain between women's potential and their access to opportunity, leadership and decision-making power.
Political representation does not automatically translate into economic opportunity, business leadership or influence.
33.1%
Seats held by women in national parliament
41.3%
Elected seats held by women in local government
27.5%
Women’s labour-force participation (2025)
10.3%
Firms with a woman as top manager (2023)
These numbers matter. But behind them are individual women with ideas, experience, ambition, knowledge and dreams, whose potential is often greater than the opportunities available to them.
At the heart
Another woman who roots for her
Sometimes what changes any woman's trajectory is not another course, another piece of advice or another programme. It is another woman who sees something in her, listens deeply, believes in her, opens her imagination to what might be possible, and roots for her.
That is the idea at the heart of Women's Voices of the Himalayas. We connect women from around the world through mentoring, community and storytelling, creating transformative shift through relationships across generations, cultures and borders.
We believe in reciprocity, not charity; exchange, not one-way teaching. Our mentors come not only to share their experience, but to listen, learn and be changed by the women they meet.
Women's Voices of the Himalayas is our response to that possibility.
A personal note
Finding your tribe
For more than 25 years, I have advised, coached, and mentored leaders across continents, from global corporations to fast-moving start-ups, helping them find clarity, build perspective, direction and strengthen their presence.
Over time, I saw that while titles, industries, and structures differ, the fundamental needs stay the same. People need support, clarity, community, and an environment that allows them to grow. It gradually became clear to me that impact doesn't stop at the boardroom door.
That learning became part of Women's Voices of the Himalayas: ambition, values, DNA. We are not a charity, but a community grounded in reciprocity, where exchanges flow both ways.
I often get a question: why Nepal? Well, we can begin with the good that is right in front of us, in the place where we are, with the people whose lives intersect with ours.
On a very human level, it is also about choosing your people. Finding your tribe, those who share the same values and mindset, who help you become more of who you're meant to be. That is the heart of WVOH.
