Rishi Punakhar Dhakal: Honorary Counsel General of Nepal, California.

Rishi Punnakhar Dhakal, better known as Rishi Dhakal, is a prominent businessman and social servant living in Los Angles, California. Former president Ram Baran Yadav awarded him the Commercially Important Person (CIP) Award in 2014 as the number one importer of garment products from Nepal. Due to his outstanding contribution, the government of Nepal has appointed him as the honorary consul general for San Diego.
Dhakal, who has experience in international exports, freight forwarding, and wholesale distribution of Nepali products, holds nearly three decades of experience promoting Nepali products at global markets. He is currently involved in five different businesses. He believes that via his sales and distribution of Nepali products at international markets, he is not only running businesses but also preserving and expanding Nepal’s identity and culture abroad.
Dhakal, also involved in various social organizations in the US, has plans to keep working to preserve Nepali culture, values, and identity in the global arena. Born in Prithvi Narayan Municipality, Gorkha, he completed his education at Mahendra Secondary School in Kundur, Gorkha. He then completed his higher-level education at Saraswati Multiple Campus, Ratna Rajya Laxmi Campus, and Patan Multiple Campus.
He has worked in different sectors, starting as an office clerk in 1992 and becoming a manager in 1998. He set up his freight forwarding and export business, Rising Star Cargo Pvt. Ltd., and an export company, Rising Traders and Exports, from 1998 to 2005. He currently runs a fashion company, hotels and restaurants, a real estate business, and a beauty company.
Lila Nath’s son currently works as the president/CEO of Rising International Inc, besides running Dhakal Brothers LLC, Himalayan Investment LLC, and Rising Star Trading. For his active role in promoting Nepali products at international markets and social service, Dhakal was nominated as an honorary member of the Non-Residential Nepali Association (NRNA) International Community Council (ICC) 2017. He was also a member of the NRNA Special Task Force of Nepali Products Abroad, an advisor of the CNC Task Force, and an advisor of the NRNA NCC, United States.
Dhakal served as the founder and treasurer of the Pashupatinath Buddha Foundation, which is all set to build Pashupatinath and Buddha temples in the US, and became the organization’s vice president. Besides participating in several other organizations in the US, he is also the founding secretary of the America Nepal Chamber of Commerce.
He has obtained professional memberships in the El Monte Chamber of Commerce (CA), the America Nepal Chamber of Commerce (USA), the Irwindale Chamber of Commerce (CA), the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership (CA), the San Diego Diplomacy Council (CA), the Los Angeles Diplomacy Council (CA) and the San Diego Consular Corps.
Dhakal has played a vital role in many decision-making bodies as an advisor, including in the NRNA ICC (CNC) Special Task Force on the continuation of Nepalese citizenship and the Association of Nepalese in America, among others.