Trustees/Directors

Tim Gocher, Chairman and Founder

Tim is a venture capital and urban development executive with a background in energy and technology. After nine years at Deloitte and J.P. Morgan, and an MBA from London Business School, Tim became Managing Director at listed investment bank Interregnum plc. He is co-founder and partner of Academy IP – a New York-based venture capital investor partnering with major US research universities. He is an expert in sustainable urban development and Special Economic Zones, and has advised governments and private developers around the world, including in China, India, Vietnam, Malaysia, Portugal and US.

When Tim first visited Nepal in 2003, it changed his life forever. He was stuck in the remote ethnic-Tibetan  village of Bridim by the monsoon rains, and had no choice but to stay there. He was moved by the beautiful simplicity of life and the profound lessons he learned from the villagers. It was on that trip that he met Dolma and her family, and shortly afterwards founded the Dolma Development Fund.

Tim currently lives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with his Nepali wife and two sons.

David Grigson, Director/Trustee

David is currently chairman of Trinity Mirror plc, one of Britain’s largest newspaper publishers with 260 titles including the Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror. David is also chairman of Creston plc and on the board as a non-executive director of Standard Life plc and Ocado plc.

A Chartered Accountant, David was formerly Chief Financial Officer of Reuters plc and best known for the restructuring effort he undertook alongside CEO Tom Glocer which ultimately resulted in the £8.7bn mega-merger with Canadian rival Thomson. He was previously with  EMAP plc and a non executive director of Carphone Warehouse plc.

Ashley Smith, Director/Trustee and Company Secretary

Ashley has been employed by The Salvation Army since 2002 working as Employment Development Officer (EDO), primarily helping Adults with Learning Difficulties to prepare for the workplace.

He has been a Director and Company Secretary of the Dolma Development Fund since 2007 and has travelled to both Nepal and Ethiopia to oversee projects.

He has been involved in the UK Scout Association for some 20 years, holding posts including District Secretary of the Southend Estuary District Executive Committee. He currently holds the post of Chairman of 4th Thorpe Bay Scouts.

Elizabeth Gocher, Director/Trustee

For the last eight years, Elizabeth has worked as a para-legal secretary in the area of wills and probate law.   Prior to that she spent twenty years as Administrator and Secretary of Cecil Jones College, one of the largest comprehensive schools in south-east England.   This role included the organisation of pupil admissions from the primary schools, truancy control and the administrative side of school trips.

Elizabeth is a keen tennis player and currently represents Essex in the ladies County team for her respective age. She has travelled to Nepal, advising on educational administration.

Featured Associates and Advisors

Tsering Dhindup Lama, CEO Dolma Ecotourism and Rural Community Advisor

Tsering is from the remote village of Bridim, Nepal. At the age of 12 he had a rare opportunity – he was sponsored for a full school education by a foreign visitor that changed his life forever. After his studies in Kathmandu, he became an expert mountain trek guide and leader, managing groups up to 40 people in the harsh terrains of the Himalayas since 1994. He became a favourite for group management with foreign study programmes and agencies, including Cornell Nepal Study Program (CNSP -USA), Where there be Dragons (USA), Maya Travels (Germany) and Oak Hall Expeditions (UK).

In 2003 he started Dolma Ecotourism with an investment and close partnership with the Dolma Development Fund. The project has led hundreds of people deep into the hidden valleys of the Himalayas on community-led adventures that are run and supported by local people. This is both his way of giving back to his community and earning a living. Through Dolma Ecotourism, he now also runs groups through their agreement with Britain’s Mountain Kingdoms tour operator.

He has also worked on many NGO projects in Nepal including for the Dolma Development Fund and Friends of Nepal (Germany).

Tir Bahadur Gurung, Chief Education Advisor

Tir Bahadur Gurung is one of the most prominent figures in Nepali education. He was previously District Education Officer in Dolpa district and was twice decorated by the King for services to education. He is the founder of the Highland Boarding School, one of the most prestigious private schools in its region, and until 2010 held the post of Headmaster at the Rasuwa Secondary School.

He advises the Dolma Development Fund on education and works in partnership with us to develop culturally-sensitive curricula that reinforce local cultures. He holds a B.Sc. in Physics from Tribhuven University, Kathmandu.

Shabda Gyawali, Business Development Officer

Shabda Gyawali earned his undergraduate in Economics and MBA in Global Social Sustainable Enterprise from Colorado State University, USA. Previously, he worked as a research associate at Beed Management, Kathmandu, Nepal, where he provided  strategic consulting to organizations involved in  financial inclusiveness, agro forestry, and micro-enterprise development. In 2010, Shabda  helped  to incubate  Saraii, an eco tourism venture in rural Sri Lanka. Recently, he advised on access to finance in Madagascar and Nepal for the Center for Financial Inclusion, ACCION International.

Shabda has a passion to serve the people at the base of the pyramid in his native Nepal and strongly believes Nepal’s social and environmental challenges can be tackled through entrepreneurial approaches.

Boris Kizelshteyn, Chief Technology Adviser

Boris is a technologist and a Senior Product Manager at Nokia. In 2011 he graduated from MIT Media Labs with a MSc. He  is an expert in applying technology for poverty alleviation and ran a project for MIT in rural India studying the impact of various technologies on living standards. He advises the Dolma Development Fund on all aspects of technology and has twice visited our projects in Nepal. Indeed, he got engaged to his wife in the village of Bridim! They now live in Boston, USA.

Boris envisions a world where personal communication takes on the qualities of a sense, enabling users to effortlessly discover useful people and resources that are nearby and available, but out of sight.

Pooja Gurung, Education Advisor

Pooja is from Dhunche, Nepal and worked as teacher and administrator of the Highland Boarding School for seven years. In 2004 she secured a three-year teaching position at the Gurkha School in Singapore, part of the Singapore Police Force. In 2008, she attained a Diploma in International Montessori Education in Singapore and now teaches Kindergarten at the Sayfol International School in Kuala Lumpur.

Pooja advises the Dolma Development Fund in applying international and experiential teaching techniques in Nepal.

Thomas Lam, Branding and Medical Advisor

Tom graduated in 2001 from the School of Visual Arts, NYC, with a BA in Advertising/Graphic Design.  He quickly became a Junior Art Director at an advertising agency but decided to change gears and work in the non-profit sector.  It was during this time that Tom worked with Tim Gocher on the Dolma branding and first promotional materials.  Tom came on the inaugural Dolma Ecotourism adventure in 2003 where he made lasting relationships with both fellow guests and local villagers.

The trip changed Tom’s perspective dramatically.  A decade and two children later, Tom is now en route to becoming a physician, which will allow him to more directly make an impact on those in need.  He wants to use his medical knowledge to further participate in the spirit of warmth and generosity that the Dolma Development Fund represents.

Simon Wong, Design, Marketing and Fundraising

Simon is a Singapore-based actor, creative director and non-profit fundraiser. He is a partner in the award-winning design agency Chemistry, trod the boards at London’s Wimbledon Broadway and toured the UK as a professional actor for Polka and Yellow Earth Theatres. His is a regular face on Singapore TV, often appearing in lead drama roles as well as having hosted for Channel News Asia.

After the loss of his wife Peikie to cancer in 2008, he set up InHerShoes – Art & Music Against Cancer, and has since held awareness and fundraising events at Singapore’s Arts House, Sculpture Square, Hard Rock Cafe, and a national concert at Fort Canning in partnership with the 2011 Run For Hope for cancer research. InHerShoes has to date raised close to $400,000 with its partners.

In 2009 Simon finally made a long-awaited trip to Nepal, a place he had hoped to visit with his wife. He advises the Dolma Development Fund on fundraising, marketing and design issues. He has a deep interest in cultures and living a balanced way of life and as such believes the culture and environment of Tibetan villagers in Nepal holds great value for us all.