Poonam Karki

Poonam Karki is the ChiefFinancial Officer of Manaram Group, a diversified conglomerate encompassingeight companies as of 2026. Her 19-year tenure with the organization is atestament to her resilience, strategic foresight, and value-driven leadership.Joining the company in 2007 as General Manager when it was a small family-runbusiness—then known as Manaram Himalayan Handicraft, with just eight teammembers—Poonam has been instrumental in its evolution into a structuredcorporate group of over 500 employees operating across national andinternational markets.

In her initial role as GeneralManager, Poonam managed a broad portfolio spanning administration, finance,regulatory affairs, and core operations. In recognition of her expandinginfluence and pivotal contributions to the company’s trajectory, she was appointedChief Financial Officer in 2018. Under her financial stewardship, Manaram Grouphas aggressively pursued its vision to globalize authentic Nepali products,actively working to reduce the nation's trade deficit and introduce localinnovations to the global stage. She has been recognized globally as therecipient of the “Excellence in financial strategy leadership”-conglomerate,award at the 3^rd annual women’s tabloid award 2025 in Dubai foroutstanding contributions to financial excellence and leadership.

Championing DomesticProduction & Import Substitution

Poonam is a staunch believer thatrobust domestic manufacturing is the backbone of national economicself-reliance. Under her financial and operational leadership, Manaram Grouphas strategically pivoted toward scaling local production units. By optimizingsupply chains and investing in domestic processing plants—such as Manaram Pet,Manaram Farm & Poshilo Foods and specialized manufacturing units—shehas directly contributed to import substitution, helping retain capital withinNepal and strengthening the local economy against global market volatility.

Driven by the ethos thatmanufacturing is a primary engine for job creation, Poonam has overseen thegroup's transition into a high-output industrial entity. Her financialblueprints prioritize:

• Local Value Addition: Transitioning from raw     material export to manufacturing high-value, finished authentic Nepali     products.
• Job Creation: Expanding the workforce to over     500 secure corporate and industrial roles, fostering skill development and     socio-economic mobility for local communities.
• Infrastructure Investment: Spearheading     capital expenditure for modernizing production facilities, streamlining     factory workflows, and ensuring rigorous site safety and compliance     standards across the group's industrial estates.

People-Centric Leadership& Culture Change

Navigating the cultural andstructural transition from a close-knit startup to a massive corporateinstitution is one of Poonam’s defining achievements. She views managing theemotional transitions of employees during periods of rapid growth as a profoundresponsibility, crediting mutual empathy and transparent communication as vitaltools for organizational resilience. Guided by a philosophy of positiveproblem-solving, she champions the concept of "leading without atitle," balancing high-stakes executive authority with deep humility andgrace.

Philanthropy & SocialAdvocacy

Poonam’s commitment tosustainable impact extends well beyond corporate strategy. As the Treasurer ofthe Manaram Foundation, she spearheads impactful corporate socialresponsibility (CSR) initiatives focused on education, public health, Environmentand women's empowerment.

A passionate advocate for genderequity, Poonam has championed internal policy reforms designed to foster aninclusive, supportive workplace. As a trailblazer in Nepal’s corporate sector,she actively mentors next-generation leaders and advocates for increased femalerepresentation in executive roles, viewing it as a prerequisite for societalprogress.

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