Executive women leaders
THE Fiji Institute of Chartered Accountants (FICA) and the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative (PSDI) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to deliver a Senior Executive Women in Leadership Program.
The program is anticipated to help equip up-and-coming businesswomen in Fiji with skills, networks, and experience they need to take on senior leadership and board positions.
FICA president Rajeshwar Singh said as the premier accounting body in Fiji and within the region, they recognised the need for more women in leadership in all fields.
“FICA’s PDWIC (Professional Development and Women’s Initiative Committee) has an important mission to promote equal opportunity. We developed the women in leadership series to focus on identifying the issues women face in accounting, finance, and leadership roles, and support more women to advance to leadership positions,” Mr Singh said.
He said since the launch of the Women in Leadership series in 2019, FICA had noted significant growth in female membership and “through this initiate, the institute aims to empower, train and enable women to reach to top executive positions”.
PSDI’s Economic Empowerment of Women Expert Sarah Boxall welcomed the partnership with FICA to deliver the new senior executive women’s leadership program.
“We hope to provide more women in Fiji with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to excel in senior leadership roles,” Ms Boxall said.
PSDI is an ADB technical assistance program undertaken in partnership with the governments of Australia and New Zealand, and it supports ADB’s 14 Pacific developing member countries to improve an enabling environment for business and achieve inclusive, private sector-led economic growth, including through reforms designed to enhance the economic empowerment of Pacific women.
According to FICA, the Senior Executive Women in Leadership Program is being delivered by FICA in partnership with PSDI, and scheduled between May and July this year.
The program is designed to support women in executive and senior management roles to enhance their skills, develop strong networks, and build their professional brand.
It will cover topics including risk management, resilience, organisational culture, governance, and financial management. The training program is part of FICA’s Women in Leadership series for 2024, which was launched on International Women’s Day at Shangri-La Yanuca Island by Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran and Mr Singh.
The series is spearheaded by PDWIC. Applications for the training program are expected to start from May.
Senior executive women looking to take their work to new heights are invited to submit their expression of interest to info@fia.org.fj or contact FICA on +679 999 9949.