Narayan studied forestry in his home country of Nepal, but rejected a post as a forest ranger when he realized this would enmesh him in a corrupt bureaucracy. Instead, he joined a youth movement and environmental group to teach rural communities how to use renewable energy for sustainable livelihoods, and eventually worked as the Executive Director of Youth Initiative in Nepal. After 10 years in the development sector, Narayan concluded that the key to development is accountability, and he helped set up and lead the Global Youth Anti-Corruption Network. For the past five years, he has led Accountability Lab’s work in Nepal, including designing an incubator that trains young people to build innovative solutions for accountability. He has also spearheaded a national “Integrity Idol” media campaign that celebrates honest civil servants, the Mobile Citizen Helpdesks that promoted citizen input in the 2015 earthquake response, and the OpenGov Hub co- working and community space. He has a Masters in Sociology from Tribhuvan University, and participated in the Atlas Corps Think Tank LINKS Fellowship, International Anti-Corruption Academy, and Stanford University Graduate School of Business Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders.
