Billionaire businessman Binod Chaudhary’s biography launched in Colombo

Roger Srivasan

Last evening, I had the privilege of attending a distinguished forum organised by the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors amidst the idyllic surroundings of Port City Colombo — a breathtaking technological marvel fashioned upon reclaimed land wrested from the sea itself, symbolising Sri Lanka’s aspirations toward modernity, global commerce, and financial sophistication.

The event bore the unmistakable imprint of Dinesh Weerakkody, President of SLID and current Chairman of Union Bank of Colombo — a towering and deeply respected figure within Sri Lanka’s banking and corporate fraternity. Few professionals in the country command such enduring esteem across the financial sector. Having previously chaired both Commercial Bank of Ceylon and Hatton National Bank, Mr. Weerakkody has, over several decades, become synonymous with corporate stewardship, financial prudence, and strategic leadership. His contribution to Sri Lanka extends far beyond banking alone; he has consistently been regarded as one of the country’s foremost corporate minds, whose counsel has carried considerable weight in both boardrooms and national policy circles alike.

The evening’s guest speaker, Binod Chaudhary, brought an equally remarkable global dimension to the forum. Widely recognised as Nepal’s first and only billionaire, Mr. Chaudhary has built an extraordinary international business empire through the Chaudhary Group, transforming a modest family enterprise into a multinational conglomerate spanning hospitality, finance, telecommunications, manufacturing, and global consumer brands. Yet his achievements extend beyond commerce alone. As a philanthropist, parliamentarian, author, and international business statesman, he has become one of Nepal’s most recognisable global ambassadors — a figure who demonstrated that even a small Himalayan nation could produce enterprises capable of competing upon the world stage.

Particularly fascinating was the discussion surrounding his latest book, Made in Nepal: Lessons in Business Building from the Land of Everest, in which he reflects upon resilience, entrepreneurship, leadership, and the formidable challenges of building globally competitive enterprises from within a politically and economically fragile environment. The work stands not merely as a business memoir, but as a testament to vision, endurance, and the indomitable spirit of enterprise.