Interviews

In this interview, Binod Chaudhary, chairman of the Chaudhary Group based in Nepal, discusses the impressive trajectory of his family’s business—beginning in the late nineteenth century with his grandfather’s migration from Rajastan to Nepal, up to his own entry into the business and its subsequent transformation from a textiles company into a global conglomerate.

Chaudhary starts by discussing the business opportunities that first drew his grandfather to Nepal, and then describes how the business grew under the stewardship of his father during the 1960s and ’70s. The business achieved many milestones during this period, including opening the first department store in Nepal.

In the interview, Chaudhary explains that, from an early age, he was mentally prepared to join the family business, as his father was before him. He reflects on how he learned about business from his father’s example, whether in accompanying him to job sites, or in discussing the business at home. Thus, by the age of 18, Chaudhary was able to step into a position of leadership and confidently guide the company in new directions. Instead of importing textiles from Japan and Korea, as his father had, he—among other things—brought the first Suzuki cars to Nepal, and brought National Panasonic to Nepal to assemble two-band radios. He says of his “adventurist” tendencies: “I saw an opportunity that was new. I knew that it was going to be challenging, but I also knew that it was going to put me to a different level.” Indeed, over the past five decades, Chaudhary has led the group through exceptional growth, becoming Nepal’s largest multinational, with business interests across more than ten verticals, including fast moving consumer goods, banking, education, power, manufacturing, and real estate.

But success did not come easily. In the interview, Chaudhary discusses the challenges of operating in Nepal’s complex and opaque regulatory environment, and reflects on some of the strategies used by the group to manage political risk. One such strategy, as he explains, was global expansion. Chaudhary Group now operates in more than a dozen countries around the world, including India, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, South Africa, the Philippines, the United States, Egypt, Serbia, and China. In the interview, he reflects on the unique challenges and rewards of these different business environments, and also shares his views on how Nepal’s geopolitically strategic location—nestled between India and China—might help to springboard future development.

Chaudhary concludes the interview by discussing the Chaudhary Foundation—including everything from its role In the 2015 earthquake relief efforts, to his views on the management of the foundation, and its future goals.

 Close