--By Sujan Tiwari

 

Rajesh Kazi Shrestha, Chairman of RK Associates and the recently elected President of Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC), needs no introduction in Nepali business fraternity. With experience in trading, hospitality and automobile business for more than three decades, Shrestha shows no signs of retiring. “I will continue my trading business, and along with that, I want to foray into agriculture. I am planning to start an agro processing company in near future, and if things go as planned, I will establish hotels in four major cities within a few years,” says Shrestha. 

 

 

Prior to his recent election as the President of NCC, he has served in the same position for two terms in the past. Shrestha is also the President of International Chamber of Commerce Nepal, Nepal China Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nepal Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He is also the honorary member of many such bilateral organizations.    

 

The Beginning

Shrestha started his business journey in the year 1978. His father, a native of Kathmandu was involved in trading business. He used to wholesale Indian kitchen commodities and household goods on a small scale. “In the back of my head, I always thought that I would handle some sort of business. I had no other aims as a young boy,” recalls Shrestha. When was doing his B Com in Public Youth Campus, he started his first venture Rajesh Concern and started importing various merchandise. Shrestha used to go to Hong Kong and Bangkok and import electrical appliances, apparels and the like. 

 

After trying his luck in trading for some time, he felt that tourism was a promising sector, and wanted to try his hands on it. He started Rara Hotel in Jyatha, and focused on hospitality for some tome. During the same time, he got associated with Nepal Chamber of Commerce and his contacts grew. Soon, he became one of the executive members of NCC and started spending more of his time in NCC. He served as General Secretary, Vice Chairman and finally the President. He made a lot of acquaintances while in NCC. He was also involved with Nepal Foreign Trade Association and Hotel Association of Nepal, and served in many positions. 

 

Present Times

Today, all of Shrestha’s businesses are consolidated under RK Associates, and is one of the most trusted names in Nepal. Some of its sister concerns are Constant Buisness Group Pvt Ltd, Status Trading Private Ltd and Nepal International Business Pvt Ltd. Constant Business Group is the distributor of vehicles imported from China, Malaysia and South Korea. Some of the automobile brands are Zotye, Lifan, Jonway, Proton and Ssangyong.  Status Trading imports furnishing, flooring carpets and laminated flooring. Nepal International Business also looks after the automobile business. Rajesh Concern imports food items, readymade garments, PVC etc. Besides this, Shrestha also owns a hotel in Lumbini. 

 

Early Life

Shrestha was born in 1961 in Jyatha of Kathmandu to Ratna Kazi Shrestha and Late Sanu Maiya Shrestha. He was the eldest among two brothers. He did his schooling from Bhanubhakta Memorial School and appeared in his SLC from there. He completed his graduation from Public Youth Campus. Since his childhood, he was socially active and had a lot of friends. “I always wanted to make more acquaintances, and I am very successful at that,” says he. Shrestha married Remina Shrestha in 2042 BS. The couple has two daughters Neha and Riya and a son Rajul. 

 

 

Personal Side

Shrestha gets up at 5:30 and goes to health club, but says he cannot be regular owing to his business involvements and abroad travels. He is a very punctual man, and is always at his office at 10 in the morning. His days are busy in meetings and business planning. No matter how busy he is during the day, Shrestha almost always spends his evenings in his own home. Being a familiar name in the local business community, he is invited to parties and gatherings every day, and makes an effort to attend all of them. 

 

Being a people’s person, Shrestha spends major part of his time with his business fraternity. “I am glad that I have a lot of friends and acquaintances in the business community. I feel I have earned more friends and trust than I have earned money,” says he. In his free time, he likes to listen to music and watch TV, and spends his time in social networking. Shrestha has travelled extensively for his business and has been to many countries of Asia, Europe and North America. 

 

Shrestha considers himself very successful and lucky, and thanks his parents for everything he has been able to achieve.  “I am satisfied with what my achievements, but sometimes I feel that if I wasn’t busy making so many friends and contacts, I might have been able to take my business even further,” says he.  

 

Shrestha was conferred with an honorary PhD degree by Foreign Policy Research Institute of India for promoting the diplomatic relations between Nepal and India, and for his business activities in Nepal. Shrestha is also the former Assistant Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, and is in the Board of Directors of Hotel Soaltee Crowne Plaza. “Being a son of a small businessman, I am proud to have been the President of NCC for three times. Today I am a popular name in business, media and politics. I am very grateful for that,” says he. 

 

Philosophies 

Shrestha believes succeeding in any business depends on hard work and dedication, and partly on luck. . “Entrepreneurs need to be courageous and need to take bold steps with long term vision,” says Shrestha. According to him, the current political situation is making businessmen hesitant from starting new endeavors, be it trading and in manufacturing. “Still, Nepali market is growing and purchasing power of people is also on the rise. If political stability is there, businesses can prosper,” says Shrestha.  He says that doing business is today is very different from when he started. “Starting a business was easy back then. Things were less complicated and there was less competition. Today’s entrepreneurs don’t have that luxury,” says he.