OUR TEAM

Rudra, a native of Nepal, works closely with the Deerhold teams in the US and Nepal. Through his hands-on direction of the operations and technology teams, Deerhold is able to deliver high-quality, cost-effective solutions and services. Prior to founding Deerhold, Rudra founded Deerwalk, Inc., serving as CEO for the company’s first five years and later as executive chairman until Deerwalk was acquired by Cedar Gate Technologies in 2020. He founded Deerwalk Institute of Technology in 2011, Nepal's premier Computer Science college, and serves as chair. Prior to Deerwalk, Rudra served as Chief Operating Officer at Verisk Health, where he directed operations and R&D, leading the offshore development center of 300+ engineers. Rudra was a founder and Chief Technology Officer of D2Hawkeye, which provided data analytics and decision-support tools to the healthcare industry and was acquired by Verisk Health. Early in his career, Rudra worked as a Business Systems Engineer and a Database Architect. He has extensive consulting experience, having worked for several prestigious financial institutions and healthcare organizations. Rudra holds a bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering from Mehran University in Pakistan and a Ph.D. in Economics from Northeastern University.

As a lead at Deerhold Japan, Samjhana oversees overall strategy, business development and operations. She brings extensive experience from both the public and private sectors, specializing in business development, sustainable impact investing, and social entrepreneurship.

Previously, Samjhana worked in the Corporate Strategy Group at the World Bank and at Ashoka, where she led investments, strategic collaborative partnerships, social entrepreneurship, and geographic expansion. She has also advised technology startups and SMEs on business development, as well as international foundations and women-led enterprises on gender-lens investing.

In addition to her professional work, Samjhana serves on several nonprofit boards in the U.S. and Japan. She holds a B.A. from the University of Vermont and Kansai Gaidai University, as well as a Master’s in International Public Policy from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

As a lead at Deerhold Japan, Samjhana oversees overall strategy, business development and operations. She brings extensive experience from both the public and private sectors, specializing in business development, sustainable impact investing, and social entrepreneurship.

Previously, Samjhana worked in the Corporate Strategy Group at the World Bank and at Ashoka, where she led investments, strategic collaborative partnerships, social entrepreneurship, and geographic expansion. She has also advised technology startups and SMEs on business development, as well as international foundations and women-led enterprises on gender-lens investing.

In addition to her professional work, Samjhana serves on several nonprofit boards in the U.S. and Japan. She holds a B.A. from the University of Vermont and Kansai Gaidai University, as well as a Master’s in International Public Policy from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Bachelor of Law, University of Tokyo (1983) Master of Laws, University of California (Boalt Hall) School of Law, Berkeley (1988) Master of Policy Science, Saitama University (predecessor to the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), 1994). Born in Himeji, Japan in 1959. Professor Araki teaches international economic law and trade policy at Yokohama National University in Japan and currently serves as the dean of the Department of Law. He joined the faculty in July 2003 as an associate professor and was promoted to full professor in April 2005. Before joining academia, he served as a Japanese government official for nearly 20 years. Professor Araki joined the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) in 1983. During most of his career at MITI (later renamed METI), he was involved in multilateral economic affairs, including development assistance, intellectual property, environmental protection and multilateral trade negotiations. From 1995 to 1998, he served as legal affairs officer at the Legal Affairs Division of the World Trade Organization, a division primarily devoted to settlement of disputes among WTO members. From 2001 to 2003, he was director of research at the Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI), an incorporated administrative agency affiliated with METI. Professor Araki has published a number of books and articles on international trade law in Japanese and English.

Shigeharu Takano is a Director and CTO of Roudiam Inc,. A Tokyo native and a system engineer by background, Takano has led successful startups in Nepal, Israel and Silicon Valley. Previously, Takano served as an Executive Officer and CTO of an IT company listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and developed a number of web marketing support services. In 2019, he led the development and advancement of eKYC solutions using facial recognition technology as the CPO responsible for project management, and he obtained a patent for encryption technology using color codes (patent 6080282). Since 2020 he has served as a Representative of Octopus LLC.

Sachin Karanjit leads Deerhold’s Nepal operations, focusing on technology-driven services, client satisfaction, and revenue growth. He has extensive expertise in software development, finance, HR, and business operations in Nepal. Previously, he was Managing Director at Deerwalk Compware, shaping strategy and business development, and Director of Services at Deerwalk, overseeing growth and client accounts. Sachin holds a Computer Engineering degree and an MBA from Kathmandu University.

Mai has extensive experience across multiple industries, excelling in business development, sales, financial management, and corporate revitalization. She has contributed to the growth and sustainability of businesses through expertise in contract management, fundraising, and strategic planning.

After managing customer, contract, and financial operations for a major tech company’s POS business, she led employee benefits initiatives in the healthcare industry. She then transitioned into consulting, supporting corporate restructuring, cash flow improvements, and new business launches.

Currently, as the Sales & Operations Manager at Deerhold Japan, she leverages her diverse expertise to drive business growth.

As the Chief Executive Officer, Jeff collaborates intimately with the executive team at Deerhold, steering the company's growth and innovation strategies. Before joining Deerhold, he was a pivotal figure at Deerwalk, first as President and then as CEO, until its acquisition by Cedar Gate Technologies. Jeff's background includes co-founding four other companies prior to Deerwalk including D2Hawkeye where he was a co-founder with Deerhold Executive Chairman Rudra Pandey. Jeff serves on several boards of directors of innovative companies in the healthcare technology field in both the payer and provider space. Jeff is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of Tampa and he currently resides in Tampa with his wife Pamela.