The principles we apply to turn opportunity into impact
The Khetan Foundation’s commitment is embedded in these core tenets:
Our vision
A more just world where people and communities thrive with dignity, resilience and access to opportunity.
Our mission
To empower people to lift themselves out of poverty with education and enterprise integrated into their daily lives.
We work in a disciplined, structured, pragmatic way
As champions of entrepreneurial philanthropy, we run the foundation like a business for social good.
We don’t simply give, we empower. We don’t offer fish, we teach fishing to nourish lives for generations.
Our values
Compassion
Act with care for others and follow the golden rule.
Honesty
Speak plainly and truthfully, and act ethically and with integrity.
Transparency
Share decisions, motives and objectives openly and accurately.
Accountability
Take responsibility for actions and outcomes, identify and correct mistakes promptly.
Development is always more effective when built on partnerships
We collaborate with respected institutions, including National University of Singapore (NUS), SingHealth, Human Practice Foundation, community organisations and local governments. Our partnerships provide technical expertise, local relevance and shared accountability.
We invest in multi-year, community-rooted programmes shaped by evidence and continuous monitoring. The interventions we design aim to integrate education and enterprise into daily life to break cycles of poverty.
TEAM
Professional stewardship inspires strong governance and effective outcomes
Nirmal Singh, Chairperson
As Chairman of the Khetan Foundation, Nirmal leads our expansion into multi-year programmes in education, poverty alleviation, and rural development across Singapore, Nepal, Switzerland, Denmark, and Cambodia.
Known for disciplined leadership, global outlook, and commitment to responsible growth, he plays a central role in integrating Lotus Group’s investment with Khetan Foundation’s philanthropic vision.
Dr Jonathan Chang, CEO
Jonathan leads programmes advancing opportunity, dignity and social mobility for underserved communities across Singapore, Nepal, Switzerland, Denmark, and Cambodia. His career spans heritage, technology, social innovation, and financial inclusion.
His conviction that “talent is universal, but opportunity is not” stems from his own upbringing and drives his lifelong commitment to expanding access for those at the margins.
Beyond his Khetan Foundation role at the Foundation, Jonathan serves as director of the OG Foundation, supporting the world’s largest decentralised Al operating system and advocating for Al as a transparent public good governed for collective benefit.
He is also Director of SG Hotels Pte Ltd, where he oversees heritage-oriented hospitality investments across APAC, and serves as Advisor to Fencing Singapore.
As founding CEO of HeritageSG under Singapore’s National Heritage Board, he led national cultural festivals, digital exhibitions, and major museums including Reflections at Bukit Chandu, Changi Chapel & Museum, and Children’s Museum Singapore.
Earlier he served as CEO of Fintopia Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest micro-lending fintech platform, expanding financial access for millions.
Jonathan has also held leadership roles at Shopify, Google’s Education NBU initiative, and Singapore Management University.
He is the author of Personal Branding: Crafting Your Path to Success (World Scientific). Jonathan studied at UC Berkeley, Stanford GSB, and Harvard Kennedy School, and earned his doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania.
Chandra Prakash Khetan, Director
Deeply committed to social impact, CP is one of the founders of the Khetan Foundation.
He has long been active in community organisations and philanthropic initiatives, reflecting his belief in upliftment through education, opportunity, and sustainable development.
CP has led and supported multiple successful enterprises in Nepal and the region.
Professor Rakesh Nagi, Director
Nagi is Head of Pillar and Cheng Tsang Man Chair Professor of Engineering Systems and Design, and Director of the Aviation Studies Institute at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).
He joined SUTD in 2023 and is also Donald Biggar Willett Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).
Nagi previously served as Department Head of Industrial & Enterprise Systems Engineering at UIUC (2013-2019) and Interim Director of the Illinois Applied Research Institute (2016-2018).
Prior to UIUC, he was Chair and Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University at Buffalo (SUNY).
Prof Nagi’s research spans applied and military operations research, high-level information fusion, graph analytics, facility design, production systems, and agile manufacturing.
He is a recipient of multiple prestigious awards, including the IISE David F. Baker Distinguished Research Award (2022), INFORMS Koopman Awards (2018, 2021), DARPA Graph Challenge honours (2017-2020), and the NSF CAREER Award (1996). He has authored extensively in leading engineering and operations research journals.
Dr Pipin Kojodjojo, Director
A cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist, Pipin serves the Asian Heart and Vascular Centre and is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore.
He graduated from St Bartholomew’s and The Royal London Hospital Medical School, University of London, in 1998, and completed specialist training at Imperial College London and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School in Boston.
He is a Fellow of the Heart Rhythm Society, the American College of Cardiology, and the European Society of Cardiology.
After more than 15 years practising in the UK and USA, he joined the National University Heart Centre Singapore in 2012, where he served as Senior Consultant and later as Director of Cardiology at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (2017-2021).
Michael Palmer, Director
Michael has nearly 30 years of experience in civil and commercial litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution.
He graduated from University College London in 1992, was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1994, and admitted as an Advocate & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore in 1995.
His practice spans corporate and commercial disputes, employment law, defamation, arbitration, and advisory work for clubs and associations.
Michael has represented clients before the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), the American Arbitration Association (AAA), and has also served as arbitrator in international commercial cases.
In 2021, he was appointed to the Panel of Arbitrators for the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Michael served as a Member of Parliament in Singapore from 2006 to 2012 and was Speaker of Parliament from 2011 to 2012.
He currently sits on the Boards of Sport Singapore and the Singapore Olympic Foundation, and is also a Notary Public and Commissioner for Oaths.
Our inspiration
Mr Mohan G. Khetan (1947–2007) was a visionary Nepali businessman whose enterprises spanned beverages, foods, banking, insurance, mining, and real estate. Partnering with global brands such as Carlsberg, Habib Bank, Lloyds, San Miguel, and Thai President Food, he helped create over 3,000 direct jobs and many thousands more indirectly.
Beyond business, Mr Khetan was deeply committed to social development and philanthropy. He strengthened local governance and played a key role in advancing education and healthcare nationwide, including building schools, colleges, and hospitals. He was a founder trustee of Kathmandu University, Chairman of the Marwari Service Association and Agrawal Sewa Kendra in Nepal, and actively supported the Lions Club and Rotary movements.
Mr Khetan also served as Honorary Consul General of Turkey in Nepal, fostering strong ties between Nepal and the Republic of Turkey. In recognition of his lifelong contributions, he received numerous national and international honours, and was posthumously commemorated by the Government of Nepal with the Mohan G. Khetan postage stamp.
