Mr Ram Pratap Thapa is vice chairman of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA)’s International Coordinating Council (ICC). He also serves as the Honorary Consul of Nepal for three states of Germany. Born in 1950 in Gorkha district, he grew up in Bhairahawa and Kathmandu and has traveled widely in Nepal. Thapa did his schooling in Kathmandu and completed his university education in Kathmandu and Nuremberg, Germany. He holds an MBA degree with a focus on Finance and Marketing.

Before leaving for Germany in 1976, Thapa held professional positions in Nepal as researcher and college instructor in commerce.

After completing advanced studies in Germany, he started his career in the banking sector. He now works in Cologne as an analyst with one of the biggest savings bank groups of Germany.

Thapa is the president of German-Nepal Friendship Association and also a member of the editorial board of the magazine Nepal Information, published in Germany. At the same time, he serves on the board of the German Asia Foundation in Essen.

For the past 14 years, Thapa has been an organizer of the annual conference of the German NGOs interested or active in Nepal.

Thapa writes regularly on economic and development issues related to Nepal. An avid reader of Nepali literature, he has published several stories and poems in Nepali.

He was the editor and publisher of the successful Bankee, Nepal’s first pocket literary magazine.

He has traveled to many countries to meet with Nepalis in their own communities and participate in their functions. Thapa has been involved in organizing all global NRNA conferences and helped organize or participated in most regional conferences and meetings since the organization’s inception.

As a founding member of NRNA, Thapa has been closely involved in all aspects of NRNA and its functioning. Before being elected vice president of the ICC of NRNA in 2007, Thapa served for two years as Vice President for European region. Previously, he served as a member of the ICC.

Currently, Thapa is also serving as the Coordinator for three separate Task Forces set up by the NRN ICC: Dual citizenship; Flood-relief Project; NRNA sustainability.

Thapa has recently announced his candidacy for President of the NRNA’s ICC for the 2009-2011 term.