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The Asia Foundation Announces 2026 Development Fellows
Surya Banda
India | Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality; Entrepreneurship and Inclusive Economic Growth
SAN FRANCISCO, February 27, 2026 – The Asia Foundation today announced the 2026 cohort of its Development Fellows program, selecting 12 emerging leaders from 1,912 applicants across Asia and the Pacific. Now in its twelfth year, the program continues to cultivate an active and growing network of promising leaders committed to working together towards a more resilient and dynamic region.
Selected through a highly competitive process, the 2026 fellows reflect a diverse cross-section of disciplines, including education and literacy, economic growth and entrepreneurship, governance, environmental resilience, and social inclusion.
The 2026 fellowship will convene in the Republic of Korea and the United States. Fellows will participate in interactive leadership training modules, institutional site visits, peer exchange, and policy dialogues with leading development practitioners, policymakers, and innovators. Each fellow will also receive a USD $2,500 professional development award to invest in continued learning, mentorship, and other opportunities that advance their leadership journeys.
Meet our 2026 Development Fellows
Chau Lon Molika
Cambodia | Entrepreneurship and Inclusive Economic Growth
Chau Lon is an entrepreneur and business leader with nearly two decades of experience in sustainable agriculture, business development, and innovation for micro, small and medium enterprises. She is the Founder and CEO of Cambodian Standard Development & Supply Co., Ltd., a fast-growing company specializing in the supply of locally produced agricultural products. Her mission is to strengthen production capacity and market access for smallholder farmers while promoting green business practices. She also currently serves as the chair of the Access to Finance Committee of the Cambodia Women Entrepreneurs Association and as a board member of the Young Entrepreneurs Association of Cambodia.
Rayans Helehahimae
Pacific Islands | Good Governance
Rayans is a distinguished legal professional and governance specialist from the Solomon Islands, widely recognized for his expertise in electoral law and legislative reform. He played a pivotal role in one of the nation’s most significant democratic milestones, the successful delivery of the Solomon Islands’ first-ever Joint Election in 2024 by providing the foundational legal framework that made it possible. As secretariat for the Taskforce on Electoral Reform, he was instrumental in shaping the foundational legislation that enables synchronized national elections. He concurrently serves as legal advisor to the Ugi House of Chiefs where he provides essential counsel and oversight, ensuring that customary practices align effectively with contemporary legal frameworks.
Karishma Ali
Pakistan | Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality
Karishma is a footballer, social entrepreneur, and founder of the Karishma Ali Foundation, a women-led organization that uses sport as a tool for social change. Born and raised in the remote and conservative region of Chitral, she broke cultural barriers to become one of the first female footballers from her community to represent Pakistan nationally and internationally. Through her foundation, Karishma works to create safe, inclusive spaces where girls and young women can access sports, leadership training, mental health support, and life-skills education, particularly in marginalized communities across Pakistan.
Bea Mandapat
Philippines |
Education and Literacy
Bea is a teacher, learning designer, and the founder of Liv Language, an initiative helping children develop literacy skills through story-based learning. What began as a small project in her community, La Trinidad, has grown into an advocacy for effective, accessible, and meaningful learning in communities. She is also an award-winning creative nonfiction writer whose books have been celebrated at international literary festivals, including an Honorable Mention from the Philippine Board on Books for Young People–Salanga Prize for her work Goodfire, a Trust Fund grant from the National Book Development Board for her manuscript Angel’s Elesi.
Nevindaree Premarathne
Sri Lanka | Entrepreneurship and Inclusive Economic Growth
Nevinderee is the founder and CEO of The Makers Global and a trailblazing figure in Sri Lanka’s technology and innovation ecosystem. She was recognized as the Ecosystem Hero of the Year for the SAARC Region at the Global Startup Awards in 2020 and selected as a Global Fellow of the Eisenhower Fellowship in 2025. Before entering the tech sector, Nevindaree represented Sri Lanka as a national Wushu athlete, winning multiple medals at international championships. Through her MakHer initiative, she has advanced STEM awareness among over 3,000 female students. A sought-after speaker, Nevindaree champions innovative, equitable, and future-ready education across Sri Lanka and beyond.
Louise Ho Xin Qian
Singapore | Good Governance
Louise is a public sector professional with a decade of experience in investment promotion and development of industry strategy across the health, technology and consumer sectors. Most recently, she led several multi-disciplinary initiatives in her organization looking at the longevity economy, as well as how to better support and catalyze the growth of deep tech startups. She works for the Singapore Economic Development Board, under the Ministry of Trade and Industry and in April will join the Prime Minister’s Office assuming a two-year role as deputy director in the Strategy Group.
Khulan Jugder
Mongolia | Good Governance
Khulan is a media professional with over a decade of diverse experience across journalism and communication. She began her career in print media and has since served as a journalism trainer, editor-in-chief at an all-news TV channel, founding member and executive producer of a community television network, and deputy director of Gereg & Ub.life, one of Mongolia’s leading youth platforms. She is also the creator of The Media Show, an initiative promoting open dialogue and professional growth within Mongolia’s media community. She is recognized for her commitment to youth participation, human rights, gender-sensitive reporting, and media development. In recent years, she has been an active advocate for media literacy in Mongolia, encouraging all sectors to contribute to an informed and responsible media ecosystem.
Sonam Wangmo
Bhutan | Environmental Resilience
Sonam leads the Waste Unit at the Bhutan Ecological Society, where she directs innovative projects in waste management and circular economy solutions. With a background in engineering and data analytics, she combines quantitative skills with research-driven approaches to address complex environmental challenges. Sonam leads Bhutan’s first commercial-scale biogas project, processing 20 tons of organic waste daily, and a pioneering plastic recycling initiative that engages more than 200 community members and creates livelihoods through PET pellets and eco-bricks. She has published research on habitat modeling for flagship fish species, including Golden Mahseer and Snow Trout, and is currently studying the impacts of plastic pollution on streams. Her work exemplifies leadership at the nexus of sustainability, innovation, and community engagement, translating research into tangible solutions and transforming Bhutan’s approach to environmental stewardship and waste management.
Fernando Gomes
Timor-Leste | Environmental Resilience
Fernando is an architect and sustainability practitioner dedicated to promoting green and community-driven development in Timor-Leste. In 2021, he designed a youth hub named Kios Matenek, awarded by the UNDP and Government of Timor-Leste as the country’s first green building prototype. Fernando also initiated Arkitetu Koalia (Architecture Talk), a platform promoting dialogue on green architecture, and the principal architect of Labis Arkitetura, his own design studio working across residential, commercial, and public projects. His vision is to advance a green movement shaping Timor-Leste’s sustainable future.
Natthapat Thawiwannabun
Thailand | Good Governance
Natthapat is a governance and policy reform leader whose career bridges the public, private, and development sectors across Thailand and ASEAN. She currently works with Clean Energy Bridge to advance coal-to-clean transition pathways and sustainable energy reform in ASEAN. Formerly a senior legal officer at the Ministry of Finance and an economic policy analyst to the deputy prime minister, she later joined Tesla to accelerate clean mobility and energy transition policies. She also advises on the Clean Air Bill, national e-transaction and AI strategies, and state-owned enterprise reform. A previous board member of the Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand and a consultant to Vriens & Partners, she continues to help design policies that align public governance with innovation and inclusive growth. With more than a decade of experience, she remains dedicated to making governance an enabler of sustainability across Asia-Pacific.
Liyana Khalid
Malaysia | Environmental Resilience
Liyana is a marine biologist and conservationist dedicated to protecting marine megafauna and advancing sustainable fisheries in Malaysia. Her work addresses some of the country’s most pressing marine conservation challenges, including the incidental capture (bycatch) of endangered species and the impacts of marine pollution on coastal ecosystems. As principal programme officer at the Marine Research Foundation (MRF), a non-profit research foundation, she leads national, science-driven initiatives that translate research into policy and on-the-ground impact. For nearly a decade, Liyana has spearheaded Malaysia’s flagship Turtle Excluder Device (TED) Programme, saving thousands of sea turtles annually and strengthening national bycatch standards. She also played a key role in establishing Malaysia’s first time-area fishery closure to protect critically endangered sharks and rays.
Surya Banda
India | Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality; Entrepreneurship and Inclusive Economic Growth
Surya is a director at Creador Foundation, where he founded and leads Multiply India, a digital financial education initiative reaching 1.3 million women from low-income households across the country. Recognized as a MAIA Global Changemaker in 2025, his previous work includes supporting Nobel Laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo in conducting randomized controlled trials and advocating with state governments to adopt evidence-based poverty alleviation programs. This work translated research into large-scale policy, institutionalized the Targeting the Ultra Poor model within the Bihar government and built implementation capacity across state, district, and block levels. Surya has also pioneered a first-of-its-kind AI-enabled WhatsApp voice chatbot to deliver personalized financial education at scale and is a founding member and advisor at Impact 360 Foundation, providing strategic inputs on systems change initiatives.
About the Asia Foundation Development Fellows Program
The Asia Foundation Development Fellows: Emerging Leadership for Asia and the Pacific’s Future program brings exceptional individuals into a network of emerging leaders working to improve lives across the region. The program includes 144 current and alumni fellows, forming an active network of the region’s most promising leaders from diverse cultures, country contexts, and work environments.