Anushka Shrestha

Anushka Shrestha is a Member of Parliament of Nepal, Nepali politician, entrepreneur, and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss Nepal 2019. She is the founder and CEO of Makkusé, a Nepali desserts brand aiming to promote, preserve, and innovate Nepali dessert recipes such as gundpak and pustakari.

Early life and education Shrestha was born in Kathmandu, Nepal. She completed her S.L.C from Triyog High School and her +2 from Ace Higher Secondary School. She has a bachelor's degree in Commerce from the Australian Catholic University where she received the Executive Dean's Commendation for academic excellence and was the valedictorian of her graduating class.

Career During her Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) at Australian Catholic University in Sydney, Shrestha undertook an internship at the Secretariat for the Economy of the Holy See in Vatican City from March to June 2016, working alongside KPMG and PWC on financial reform initiatives. After graduating, she worked with ACU in various roles, serving as an Assistant International Student Advisor and later as Finance Officer. She also held a position as Audit Administrator at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia from June 2018 to March 2019.

After returning to Nepal, she worked as the Regional Manager for her alma mater from 2020 to January 2026. In this role, she led pilot programs to strengthen academic relationships between Australia and Nepal such as study tours for Australian nursing students in Nepali hospitals.

In 2020, Shrestha co-founded Makkusé, a Nepali artisan dessert brand dedicated to reviving and promoting traditional Nepali sweets, including Gundpak and Pustakari, with an aim to position authentic Nepali flavour in the global culinary market.

Pageantry Miss Nepal Oceania 2018 In 2018, Shrestha competed in and won Miss Nepal Oceania 2019, held in Australia.

Miss Nepal 2019 Shrestha won Miss Nepal 2019 on 9 May 2019, at the Laboratory H.S. premises, Kirtipur, Nepal. She competed against twenty-four others, and was crowned by Shrinkhala Khatiwada, Miss Nepal 2018. Shrestha also won the Miss Intellectual and Miss Fascino awards.

Miss World 2019 After Shrestha was given the title of Miss World Nepal 2019, she went on to represent Nepal at Miss World 2019 at ExCeL London, United Kingdom on 14 December 2019, where she reached the top 12.

Political career Shrestha joined the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), a centrist political party in Nepal.

In the 2026 Nepalese general election held on 5 March 2026, Shrestha was elected to the House of Representatives as a Member of Parliament under the proportional representation system, representing the Indigenous Janajati women's cluster. Her parliamentary focus areas include promoting Nepali products in international markets, meaningful indigenous representation, women's rights and empowerment, and education.

Accolades

Miss Nepal Oceania 2018 Miss Intellectual — Miss Nepal 2019 Ranked 3rd, Top 10 Women Entrepreneurs in South Asia — The InCap Magazine, 2022 Emerging Woman Entrepreneur of the Year, Bagmati Province — Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit & Awards, 2023 Saksham Naari Samman — 2023 Glocal Skill Hero Award — Entrepreneurship category 2026