April 30: Binayak Shah has been unanimously elected as the president of the Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) by the 48th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the association on Friday, April 28.
Shah is the proprietor of Airport Hotel and is also associated with the Economic Chamber Nepal and Summit Group of Hotels and Resorts. He was HAN's first vice-president until the AGM elected a new committee under his leadership.     
Prabin Bahadur Pandey has been elected the first vice-president of HAN while Binay Tuladhar is the second vice-president, Sajan Shakya the general secretary and Yubraj Shrestha treasurer of the association.     
Other members of the new committee are Bidhita Shrestha, Jaydin Shrestha, Sarik Ahmad Lari, Binod Shankar Shrestha, Dinesh Shrestha, Bishal Kumar Kaith, Rajendra Bhatta, Ram Kumar Puri, Thakur Prasad Pokhrel, Laxman Aryal, Biplav Poudel, Gopal Rana, Rajan Shrestha and Suman Ghimire.
Shah will take the place of outgoing HAN Presideht Shreejana Rana.
Born in Kathmandu’s Durbar Marg in 1953, Shah started his career as a journalist at the age of 17. Shah used to work for Gorkhapatra and Radio Nepal. 
“I used to do reporting and proof reading for Gorkhapatra, and did news monitoring for Radio Nepal. That’s where I believe I started my career,” Shah said in an interview with New Business Age in 2014. 
Shah did his schooling from Shanti Vidya Griha. He says he was admitted directly in Grade 5 as he used to take home tuitions prior to joining school. He completed his SLC from there, and did his IA from Mahendra Ratna College. He did his graduation from Tri-Chandra College, and finished his Masters Degree in Economics from TU.   
After completing his studies, Shah opted for government job. He joined the then Trade Promotion Centre and worked there for 16 years. He served there in various positions including Department Head and In-charge of International Marketing. During his tenure, he promoted Nepal and Nepali products like carpets, garments and handicrafts in Western European countries.

During his 16 years government job, he made a lot of contacts and relations with international business community. Then he left the job in 1992, and with his initiation, Nepal German Chamber of Commerce and Industries was formed. 
Shah’s involvement in Trade Promotion Centre and Nepal German Chamber of Commerce and Industry made him ready to do business on his own. 
Shah, who likes to call himself a development-oriented businessman, says that making money is not his sheer aspiration. “I feel that I have to help my country through my business, only then it becomes fruitful,” recalled Shah.