Fifth Edition of the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2025 Begins

The fifth edition of the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2025 has started in Kathmandu today, May 7. Chief guest Yuba Raj Khatiwada, former governor of Nepal Rastra Bank and the incumbent economic advisor to the prime minister, along with Madan Lamsal, chairman of New Business Age, jointly inaugurated the summit and awards ceremony.

Chairman Lamsal warmly welcomed all the guests to the event with a brief introduction and an inspiring welcome speech. In his address, he emphasised that the event was not merely an award distribution ceremony, but a meaningful initiative aimed at promoting women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship.

“Since the inception of the event in 2021, the New Business Age (NBA) has been actively organising workshops and financial awareness programmes across all seven provinces. These initiatives aim to empower individuals with essential knowledge and skills in financial literacy and entrepreneurship,” he said. He expressed his heartfelt gratitude to all the supporters and partners whose continued contributions have made these efforts successful and impactful.

The event aims to recognize and encourage women who are actively contributing to entrepreneurship in Nepal. A key highlight of the event will be a high-level panel discussion on the theme, “Redefining Women’s Role in Business.”

Panelists include Prakash Kumar Shrestha, member of the National Planning Commission; Prasanna Basnet, co-founder of Cotton Mill Nepal; and Astha Sharma, managing director of Code Rush. The session will be moderated by Mahesh Mahato, founder and managing director of Cosmic Electrical Limited.

As part of the awards ceremony, around 15 women entrepreneurs will be recognized across six categories. One woman from each of Nepal’s seven provinces will be recognized as an Emerging Entrepreneurial Woman and awarded a cash prize of Rs 51,000 each.

In addition to this category, other awards include Women in Tech, Professional Woman, Youth Woman Entrepreneur, Best Woman Entrepreneur, and the Lifetime Achievement Award. The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to a woman entrepreneur who has made a long-term contribution to the business sector.

An independent panel of judges was formed to select the entrepreneurs who are set to be honored. More than 2,000 women actively engaged in entrepreneurship across the country were shortlisted through various phases based on specific criteria.

Prabhu Bank is the main sponsor of this year’s summit. Tata’s Curvv EV is the official ‘Driven By’ partner, while National Life Insurance, IME Life Insurance, and Life Insurance Corporation (Nepal) Limited are life insurance partners.

The event is supported by various institutions including Salt Trading Corporation, Citizens Life Insurance, Citizens Bank International, Muktinath Bikas Bank, Everest Bank, NLG Insurance, Nabil Bank, Rastriya Banijya Bank, Sitaram Gokul Milk, Krishi Bikas Bank, Reliable Life Insurance, City Express Money Transfer, and Sagarmatha Lumbini Insurance (Salico).

According to the organizers, New Business Age has been hosting this annual event since 2021 to promote and recognize the contributions of women in entrepreneurship.

The event is being broadcast live on the Facebook pages and YouTube channels of Aarthik Abhiyan and New Business Age.