Sunil K.C.

Sunil K.C. is the Founder of Asian Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs (AIDIA). He is the President of the Nepal-India Chamber of Commerce & Industry (NICCI), which is the apex bi-national chamber to facilitate trade, transit, and investment between Nepal and India since 2024.

K.C. was previously the Vice President of NICCI, where he served for two terms and played a pivotal role in advancing cross-border partnerships. A young entrepreneur and Track II diplomacy advocate with deep expertise in the Public-Private Partnership landscape, he is a Member of the IDE–JETRO, Research Project on Re-Activating Regional Economic Cooperation in the Bay of Bengal under Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Government of Japan and a Member (South Asia) of the Diplomatic Council, a UN-registered international organization. He is also Board Member and Cofounder of the IN-SPAN Centre of Excellence, an India-Nepal Startup Partnership Network initiative promoted by IIT Madras Pravartak and the Embassy of India in Kathmandu.

K.C. oversees significant infrastructure and energy companies, serving as Director of High Himal Hydro Construction, one of Nepal's leading EPC Hydro Contractors, and as Managing Director of Singati Hydro Energy Limited, which successfully connected a 25 MW Run-of-the-River project to the national grid in 2021. He is also an Executive Director at Mountain Infra Company Limited, one of Nepal's first public limited construction firms, and Advisor to the Independent Power Producers' Association Nepal (IPPAN) from 2023 to 2026. He was also a Steering Committee Member of the Nepal Infrastructure Summit from April 2016 to September 2022. Founded by him in 2014, AIDIA has evolved into one of Nepal's one of the most respected independent think tanks. Building on this foundation, the Asian Institute of Artificial Intelligence (AIAI) was established in 2025 as a subsidiary of AIDIA, further expanding its commitment to research, innovation, and policy leadership. Under his leadership, AIDIA is now expanding into a think tank and graduate school. Since 2017, he has been the Founder and Managing Director of Himalaya Vista International Trading, and founded Himalaya Vista Consultancy, a business consultancy firm operating in South Asia, Central Asia, and the Western Balkans.

Before his current leadership roles, K.C. started his career at the age of 13 as a reporter for Radio Swargadwari FM in Ghorahi, Dang, and later co-founded Radio Tulsipur FM 100.2 MHz, a community radio station. He served as a Visiting Faculty Member at Mid-West University and as Advisor to the Confederation of Nepalese Industries from July 2021 to June 2023. He served as Executive Committee Member of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FNCCI), an apex body of the Nepalese private sector business fraternity, from 2023 to 2026, prior to which he served as Advisor for International Investment Promotion from March 2021 to April 2023. He also served as a think tank member of the Nepal Intermodal Transport Development Board.

K.C. is an Advisor to Obeetee Nepal, a subsidiary of Obeetee India, No.1 Hand Knitted Carpet manufacturer in India, and has served as the Advisor for Asian Affairs at EDU Intergovernmental in Brussels since March 2016. His articles have been published in leading newspapers across South Asia, and he has also written more than a dozen popular Nepalese modern songs.

K.C. grew up in Dang, Asia’s largest valley, and is a Political Science scholar with an Honours degree.

Publications

Nepal-India Energy Cooperation on the eve of PM Dahal’s India Visit, Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF).

Making BIMSTEC a regional vehicle for Nepal’s economic growth, East-West Center (Asia Pacific Bulletin No. 559).

Go digital on diplomacy, MyRepublica.

FDI post Covid-19, MyRepublica.

Let’s get together (Trilateral Cooperation), The Kathmandu Post.

Fifty years of Nepal-Bangladesh relations: A friendship with much potential, The Daily Star.

Nepal-Bangladesh Relations: Beyond Bilateralism, The Daily Star.

Banking on BIN (Bangladesh-India-Nepal), MyRepublica.

Talk at the top level, MyRepublica.