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Dasho Tashi Wangyal was appointed as the Interim Head of the Royal Institute of Governance and Strategic Studies in March 2025.
He has served as an advisor and faculty member of RIGSS since its inception in 2013.
Dasho Tashi Wangyal is also one of the five Eminent Members appointed by His Majesty the King to the National Council of Bhutan (the upper house of Parliament, which is comprised of 25 members). He is a member of the Economic Affairs Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee. This is his fourth term as MP in the National Council.
Tashi studied in Bhutan, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Upon completion of his MPhil degree from the University of Cambridge in 1999, he began his career in the civil service, working as an economist in the Ministry of Finance and as a research analyst at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2005, he resigned from the civil service to work as an independent researcher and consultant specializing in macroeconomics and trade policy issues. During this time, he held concurrent positions as an advisor to the Planning Commission and as a trade negotiator for Bhutan’s accession to the WTO. He also served as an independent Director on the Board of the Bhutan National Bank.
Tashi has been involved in establishing/overseeing several Royal Projects, such as: Royal Education Council (2007); Druk Gyalpo’s Institute (2011); Royal Institute of Governance and Strategic Studies (2013); Trans Bhutan Trail (2018); Gyalsung – Bhutan’s National Service (2019); Desuung Skilling Program (2021), among others. He has been a member of the Gelephu Mindfulness City Core Working Group since June 2023.
His Majesty the King awarded the Coronation Gold Medal in 2009. He was awarded the honor of the Red Scarf and the ancient title of distinction Dasho on 17 December 2014 by His Majesty the King in recognition of his dedicated service to the nation.
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.
Tashi Dawa is a Programme Officer at RIGSS. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Material Science and Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka awarded under the prestigious King’s Scholarship.
Prior to joining RIGSS, Tashi worked for five years as an Automation Engineer at Fuzzy Automation, where he was part of the founding team. In this role, he contributed to major national infrastructure initiatives, including the development of Advanced Metering Infrastructure systems for Bhutan Power Corporation. He also led and supported the development of digital platforms such as Property Management Systems and other automation solutions for public and private institutions. He interned at Druk Holding and Investments (DHI), contributing to Bhutan’s Smart City Flagship Program and supporting the establishment of the Super Fab Lab.
Beyond his professional work, Tashi is actively engaged in youth leadership and international representation. He served as a Goodwill Ambassador for Bhutan with the Sri Lanka United Nations Friendship Organization, advocating for the Sustainable Development Goals in regional forums. In 2025, he served as a Global Guide in the United States, delivering sessions on Bhutan to students in New York City.
He is a winner of the DHI TechHack Open Challenge (2020) and the Start-Up Bhutan Hackathon (2022), with projects focused on AI-based and smart technology solutions. From an early age, he has demonstrated leadership—serving as School Captain, receiving Best Student and Best Student Leader awards, and later mentoring youth as a certified facilitator with the Bhutan Scouts Association.
Lilly Yangchen is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in International Relations at Tokyo University, Japan, supported by the MEXT Scholarship. She serves as an Assistant Research Officer at RIGSS, where she has coauthored research on “What Motivates Young Civil Servants in Bhutan; Pofessionalising Domestic Help in Bhutan, and Strategic Management of Bhutan’s Eastern Border”. Lilly completed her undergraduate studies at Hamilton College, USA, with a major in Environmental Studies and Women and Gender Studies. She is an alumna of Prem Tinsulanonda International School, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Her professional experiences reflect a strong interest in public policy, governance, and sustainability. She interned at Bhutan’s Climate Change Division under the National Environment Commission Secretariat (NECS), where she contributed to national reports and policy reviews, including the Third National Communication to the UNFCCC. She also conducted research on green recovery opportunities post-COVID-19. Additional research experience includes her role as a Research Intern at the Tourism Council of Bhutan. Lilly has held various leadership and administrative roles during her time at Hamilton College, including Lead Intern at Education USA, Student Assistant at the Office of Off-Campus Study, Data Analyst Intern at the Office of Alumni Relations, and Resident Advisor. With her academic training, field experience, and research contributions, Lilly brings a multidisciplinary and globally informed perspective to governance, sustainability, and development policy.
Sonam Yangdon serves as the Media and Public Relations Officer at RIGSS. She joined the institute in 2020. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Chitkara University, Punjab, India.
She began her career as a journalist with The Bhutanese newspaper, where her work earned her national recognition as the recipient of the ‘Most Promising Young Journalist of the Year’ (Special Category) and ‘Investigative Story of the Year’ awards at the Annual Journalism Awards 2018. The following year, she received two additional awards in different categories. She rose to the position of Chief Reporter, leading newsroom operations as well as shouldering the responsibilities of a Sub-Editor in just a few years of joining the profession.
In addition to her current role, she also hosts the RIGSS Podcast. Sonam is an alumna of RIGSS, having participated in the Third Foundational Leadership Program in 2018.
Tandin Pem is an Assistant Technology Officer at the Royal Institute for Governance and Strategic Studies (RIGSS). She is a passionate IT professional and educator with a Bachelor of Computer Science from Sherubtse College and extensive experience in teaching, digital skills training, and technical instruction.
She has served as a schoolteacher and as an instructor under the De-Suung Skilling Programme (DSP), delivering training in Coding and Foundational ICT skills to multiple batches of learners.
Tandin has also completed a Qualifi Level 4 Diploma in IT E-commerce and several advanced digital skill-up programmes under DSP and Druk Holding and Investments (DHI), equipping her with hands-on experience in Java, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, MySQL, and digital marketing tools.
At RIGSS, Tandin developed the official RIGSS website, demonstrating her skills in web development and user-focused digital solutions. She is also well-versed in Microsoft Office, Google Workspace (including Google Sheets and other ICT tools), and operating systems such as Windows and Linux.
Hasta Rai is Senior Admin Officer at RIGSS.
Manages accounts and finance efficiently.
"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
