Gyalsung
Gyalsung National Service Programme
Vice Chancellor, RUB
World Fellow
Dasho Dr. Sonam Kinga is a World Fellow at the International Leadership Centre, Jackson School of Global Affairs, and a Fellow at Berkeley College, Yale University in the United States. He is the first Bhutanese to win the World Fellowship. The University awarded the prestigious fellowship after recognizing him in 2025 as one of the 16 Global Leaders.
He was a Visiting Research Scholar at the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University in 2025. Earlier in 2010, he became the first Bhutanese to receive a Ph.D (Area Studies) from Kyoto University. In 2024, His Majesty the King granted him the Inaugural RIGSS Fellow. He was also a Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Developing Economies (IDE) in Tokyo (2002).
He had served as the Chairperson of Druk Gyalpo’s Institute as well as the De-suung Skilling Program. Additionally, he also served as a member of the National Service Core Working Group and the National Resilience Fund during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During Bhutan’s historic transition to parliamentary democracy, he was elected to serve two terms (2008-2018) as a Member of Parliament. In his first term, he served as the Deputy Chairperson, and in his second term, as the Chairperson of the National Council.
His research interests focus on Bhutanese history, politics, culture, foreign relations and oral literature. His works include Changes in Bhutanese Social Structure (2002), Polity, Kingship and Democracy (2009), Democratic Transition in Bhutan (2019), and Missions from Dharmarajas to Gorkharajas: Bhutan-Nepal Relations since the 17th Century (2024), which were published by IDE, Bhutan’s Ministry of Education, Routledge, and RIGSS, respectively.
His Majesty the King conferred upon him the honour of “Nyikelma” (Red Scarf) and the title of “Dasho” in 2012 and the Gold Medal (National Order of Merit) in 2014.
Chairman, National Service Core Working Group
Dasho Karma Tshiteem currently serves as the Chairman of the National Service Core Working Group, which has been established to oversee the development of Bhutan’s National Service—an initiative envisioned by His Majesty The King to help young Bhutanese realise their full potential as individuals and citizens, and to protect and promote the nation’s interests.
In addition, Dasho is a member of the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) Core Working Group and the Steering Committee of the Desuung Skilling Programme (DSP). He also serves on the Governing Board and is a faculty member of the Royal Institute for Governance and Strategic Studies (RIGSS). Dasho is also a member of the Governing Board of The Druk Gyalpo’s Institute, which spearheads education reforms in Bhutan. Further, he chairs the Bhutan National Bank Limited and the Bhutan Hydropower Services Limited.
Previously, Dasho Karma Tshiteem served as the Chairman of the Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) and prior to that, he was the Secretary of the Gross National Happiness Commission (GNHC), Bhutan’s central planning agency ensuring that the country’s development aligns with the philosophy of Gross National Happiness. He held various positions within the Ministry of Finance until 2007.
Dasho holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Canberra, Australia.
Managing Director, Druk Green Power Corporation Ltd, Bhutan
With a Bachelors and a Masters in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin, USA, Dasho Chhewang Rinzin heads Druk Green Power Corporation Ltd, the public sector generation utility of Bhutan, as its first Managing Director since its incorporation in 2008. Dasho has 40 years of service with the Royal Government of Bhutan and the corporate sector, and has served in various capacities in Bhutan’s energy sector.
Amongst the many portfolios held, Dasho Chhewang Rinzin served as an Adviser in the first Interim Government (April – July 2013), the second Interim Government (August – October 2019), and the third Interim Government (November 2023 – January 2024). He was also the Chairperson of Bhutan’s Second Pay Commission (November 2013 – March 2014).
For exemplary services rendered to the country, His Majesty the King of Bhutan awarded Dasho Chhewang Rinzin the Red Scarf in 2009 and the Druk Khorlo medal in 2014.
Vice Chancellor, Royal University of Bhutan
Chewang Rinzin is the Vice Chancellor of the Royal University of Bhutan. Prior to this, he served as the director of the Royal Institute for Governance and Strategic Studies (RIGSS) and concurrently as a Dy. Chamberlain to His Majesty The King. He worked at the institute for 11 years (2013-2024) and was its founding director.
Chewang started his career as an engineer at the Bhutan Standards Bureau (BSB) where he served for 11 years (2002-2013). While at BSB, he was a member of the core negotiating team for Bhutan’s accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as the expert on Technical Barriers to Trade.
Chewang has a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Kerala in India and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.
Sigay Dem is a Sr. Programme officer at RIGSS where she has been involved since 2016 in designing, coordinating and facilitating leadership development programmes. She is a dedicated public servant with over 10 years of experience in the public service. Prior to joining RIGSS, she worked with the Department of School Education, supporting the development of private schools. Sigay holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Binghamton University, SUNY (2018–2020), awarded through the Fulbright Scholarship, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Administration from the Royal Institute of Management (2012). She also received the Dongfang Scholarship to attend a fellowship programme at Peking University in China (Spring, 2025). A graduate of Sherubtse College with a degree in English and Geography, she has consistently taken on active roles in student leadership and continues to contribute meaningfully in leadership development through her work at RIGSS.
Tshewang Ngedup is a Dy. Chief Programme Officer at RIGSS. He did his Masters in Public Policy with a specialization in Economics from Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore (2024). He did his Post Graduate Diploma in Contemplative Counseling Psychology from Samtse College of Education(2018). He also topped the first Bhutan Civil Service Examination (B.Ed, 2012). He has a decade of experience in teaching, leadership, training and curriculum design. He is a certified master trainer for Neuroscience based Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence certified by Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute, founded at Google. He delivered neuroscience-based mindfulness and emotional intelligence training to 2000+ public servants across ministries, corporate and private sectors in Bhutan.
He was involved as a guest trainer for Institute for Excellence and Development(i-ED), Bhutan National Commission for UNESCO, Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy, Ministry of Education and Skills Development, Royal Civil Service Commission and i-BEST institute. Tshewang interned at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy Executive Education and have gained hands-on experience on program design and delivery. He was one of the Student Chairs for the Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE) Conference(2023) for MPP seniors and a Core Member of the Career Fair (2024) and Cultural Night (2022) Organizing Teams at LKYSPP,NUS. He is also the RIGSS alumnus and cohort captain of Foundational Leadership Programme (FLP-2, 2017).
At RIGSS, he designs and delivers transformative leadership training to public, private and corporate leaders. In addition, he teaches leadership of the Self at the Gyalsung Academies, Bhutan’s National Service Programme. Currently, he is also the 4th Kautilya Fellow at India Foundation, New Delhi centering on India’s foreign and Public Policy.
Kinley Zam is a Programme Officer at the RIGSS. She is a Fulbright scholarship recipient and holds a Master of Public Administration from Syracuse University in the United States. She received a liberal arts education from the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and minored in Mathematics. Kinley has broad experience in designing and coordinating leadership programmes, as well as carrying out research. At RIGSS, she has delivered communication skills workshops to public servants and students. She coauthored a study titled Driving Behavioural Change in Public Service and leads fireside chats to share its key findings. She also coauthored RIGSS’s first case study, A School Leader’s Innovation Journey.
"What we need is not a Leader to lead the masses - we need Leadership of the Self."
His Majesty The King
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
