The Nepal Telecom (NT), one of the largest taxpaying companies in the country, has got a female chief for the first time in its history. The Cabinet meeting on Thursday appointed Kamini Rajbhandari as managing director (MD) of the company.

Rajbhandari, one of the 13 applicants vying for the top post, has been serving at the NT as chief technical officer. She was among the six candidates on the shortlist prepared by the selection committee. She emerged ahead of Madan Kharel and Sunil Pokharel in the final list that was submitted to the Cabinet.

The position had been vacant since September 5 as the government’s selection committee failed to replace outgoing MD Buddhi Prasad Acharya for the state-owned telecom service provider.

On July 9, the government had formed a five-member committee under Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya, secretary at the Ministry of Information and Communications, to pick a new MD at the NT. The committee, however, put the selection process on hold following Minister for Information and Communications Surendra Kumar Karki’s orders. “Karki later signalled the green light to the committee to select a new chief,” said an informed source at the ministry.