Nirjan Rai is a development practitioner with expertise in the areas of policy process, economic governance, and private sector development in Nepal. He is the executive director of Niti Foundation, a Nepali non-profit organization that promotes initiatives to strengthen policy engagement and ownership capacity in Nepal. Prior to this, he was with the Asian Development Bank where he contributed to developing their Country Partnership Strategy for Nepal, led the assessment of Nepal’s policy and institutional framework in supporting sustainable growth, poverty reduction, and the effective use of development assistance. He also served as the focal person for ADB’s private sector development initiatives in Nepal. Nirjan previously worked for The Asia Foundation in Nepal where he managed research and programs on political process, local governance, and economic development. He has a master’s degree in Public Policy from George Mason University, Virginia and a bachelor’s degree from Bennington College, Vermont.