Kanchan Amatya makes it to Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list

Forbes has just acknowledged Nepal’s youth icon, Kanchan Amatya’s impact by naming her in
their prestigious Asia’s 30 Under 30 list.

Themed “Disruption and Innovation,” this year’s list features 300 game-changers under the age of
30 in 10 categories, who are challenging conventional wisdom and rewriting the rules for the next
generation. The categories are: The Arts (Arts & Style, Food & Drink); Entertainment & Sports;
Finance & Venture Capital; Media, Marketing & Advertising; Retail & E-commerce; Enterprise
Technology; Industry, Manufacturing & Energy; Healthcare & Science; Social Entrepreneurs and
Consumer Technology.

Born and raised in Lalitpur, Kanchan Amatya is a young Nepalese social entrepreneur who
currently serves as the UN Women’s Global Champion for Women’s Economic Empowerment
and UN Zero Hunger Champion. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Sustainable Fish
Farming Initiative. Her organisation specialises in solving food insecurity and poverty through
sustainable aquaculture. By providing rural women with access to finance, technology, local assets
and training they are able to create their own micro-enterprises. Amatya’s work has been
recognised by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, the Government of Nepal, and the United
Nations.

Amatya was also recently awarded with “2017 Everyday Young Hero Award” by Youth Service
America and was listed on “100 Young Leaders Under 25” by Impact Squared, UK. She earned a
scholarship to study at the United World College in Norway at the age of 15 as a Nepalese youth
representative, and since then has represented Nepal across all continents.
Kanchan Amatya is also being awarded "2018 Young Leaders Award" by Women Economic
Forum -WEF this April by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2015, Mrs. Ouided Bouchamaoui وداد
ماوي َّبوش ,who played a historic role in spearheading and steering the peaceful transition of #Tunisia
to a democratic constitution with transparent elections.

Her activism in Nepal and the United States includes work around reproductive health rights as
well as leading delegation to pass the Girls Count Act at the White House which is now a law
of the United States. She represents and advocates for Nepalese youths and children at the White
House AAPI Youth Forum, White House Initiative on Asian American and Pacific Islanders. As
an ambassador to Women Protection and Prevention Center (WPPC), Kanchan has also worked
with women survivors of gender-based violence in Nepal. In 2016, she addressed the United
Nations as the youngest Nepalese delegate during 2016 UN High Level Political Forum at UN
HQ, New York.

Honorees of the 2018 30 Under 30 Asia list were handpicked and selected by a panel of
distinguished judges who are some of the most accomplished and acclaimed in their respective
fields. They include renowned business leaders and well-known personalities such as Hiroshi
Mikitani, CEO of Rakuten; Kai-fu Lee, CEO of Sinovation Ventures; Allan Zeman, Founder
and Chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Group; Vivienne Tam, Fashion designer; S D Shibulal,
Cofounder of Infosys and Axilor Ventures; Chatri Sityodtong, Founder and Chairman of ONE
Championship; May Chow, Founder and Chef of Little Bao and Kris Wu, Music producer and
actor, among many others.

Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia List celebrates inspiring game-changers who are disrupting their sectors
and not taking ‘no’ for an answer. Amatya said, “Millions of women around the world face
discrimination and curtailed opportunities today. This recognition has given me the motivation to
keep fighting on my journey to create new opportunities for women to actively, safely and fairly
participate in the economy and help them escape poverty.”
Kanchan’s Profile on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/profile/kanchan-amatya/