Director Regmi and Deputy Director Bhatta File Candidacies for Insurance Authority Chairmanship

Kathmandu — Two officials from the Nepal Insurance Authority have submitted applications for the position of Chairperson following the government’s call for applications for the appointment of a new head of the insurance regulator.

Director Kamal Prasad Regmi and Deputy Director Birodh Bhatta registered their candidacies at the Ministry of Finance on Monday.

Regmi, who has applied for the chairmanship, brings more than 11 years of experience as a director at the Insurance Authority. He was appointed as Director through open competition on October 6, 2015. Before joining the insurance regulator, he served as Senior Accounts Officer at Nepal Television from 2003 to 2015. Regmi originally entered Nepal’s civil service in 1996.

Regmi has previously been recommended to the Cabinet on several occasions but was not appointed due to political considerations. Most recently, in 2021, he was shortlisted and recommended to the Cabinet for the position of Administrator of the Employees Provident Fund. Earlier, in 2012, the Public Service Commission selected and recommended him among three candidates for the post of General Manager of the Nepal Food Corporation, but he was not appointed. Likewise, in the same year, he was among the three candidates recommended for the position of Executive Director of the Foreign Employment Board, though the Cabinet ultimately appointed another candidate.

Regmi had also previously applied for the position of Insurance Authority Chairperson and was among the three candidates recommended to the Cabinet. However, the government appointed Sharad Ojha instead. Ojha’s appointment was later annulled after questions were raised regarding his eligibility, leading to the reopening of the selection process.

Regmi holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration and an MPhil in Actuarial Management in Nepal. He is currently pursuing a PhD.

The other candidate, Birodh Bhatta, is a Deputy Director in the Legal Department of the Nepal Insurance Authority. Bhatt returned to Nepal after completing a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Trade Law in the United Kingdom.

Within the Insurance Authority, Bhatta is known for advocating the rule of law and adherence to legal and regulatory procedures. He has built a reputation as an officer who strictly follows established laws and regulations.

Bhatta initially joined the then Insurance Board as a Legal Officer on a three-year contractual basis. He was appointed Deputy Director on August 1, 2018, and has served in that capacity for the past eight years. During this period, he also worked as a Legal Advisor to Nepal Life Insurance Company for one year in 2017.

In addition to his regulatory responsibilities, Bhatta has been teaching law and insurance-related subjects at various colleges in Nepal. He has also served as a resource person at the National Judicial Academy, delivering training on insurance principles and related legal matters.