Will Kalpana Lal be the Next ATH Board Chair?
‘As leaders , we have to understand that what is small to you might be big to your staff members. Additionally, we should be culturally sensitive and realise that we all come from different walks of life.’
Will Kalpana Lal be the next Amalgamated Telecom Holdings Limited (ATH) chair?
That’s the question that seems to be looming within the corporate walls right now.
Ms Lal has been the Head of Unit, Administration & Finance at Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Pacific operations based in Suva since 2011.
GIZ is German and is one of the world’s major development and capacity building agencies.
Ms Lal is a highly regarded and versatile professional.
She brings expertise in accounting and financial management, administration, management advisory services, organisational restructure, change management, leadership, communication, auditing, contract management and human resources.
Board appointments
Ms Lal was recently appointed as the Vodafone Fiji board chair, a subsidiary of ATH, a listed company on the South Pacific Stock Exchange (SPX).
It is understood that the board would meet soon to appoint a new board chair after Ajith Kodagoda resigned last month before his departure from Fiji.
Ms Lal replaced Mr Kodagoda as the FNPF representative on the ATH Board as a director.
In an earlier interview Mr Kodagoda highlighted that Ms Lal’s experience and insight would add tremendous value to the ATH Group, where they continue their strategic effort to empower a new generation of highly skilled women.
As a board member for Women in Business, she has been groomed well by the WIB president Nur Bano Ali. Ms Ali has been advocating the need for more women in leadership without a doubt for a more even world with equal opportunity.
She added that this can be done only if organisations recognise this lack and actively intervene to change and shift the dynamic. Ms Lal was the first female in Fiji to be awarded the Chartered Accountant of the Year award by Fiji Institute of Accountants in 2017. She was also awarded Excellence in Executive Leadership by Women in Business in 2019 and recognised by Rotary International as a Paul Harris Fellow for her contribution to the local community.
Ms Lal is a director on various boards:
■FNPF
■ATH
■Fiji Development Bank
■Fijia■ Holdings Limited
■Wome■ in Business
■Pacific Governance Institute
Professional memberships:
■She is the chair of the board Audit and Risk Committee of FNPF.
■She is a professional member of CPA, Australia and Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD)
■Chartered Accountant with Fiji Institute of Accountants
■Member of Fiji Institute of Accountants and served on various committees About ATH:
The ATH Group of Companies comprises:
■ATH,
■Te●ecom Fiji Limited,
■Vodafo■e Fiji Limited,
■FINTEL,
■Fiji Directories Limited,
■ATH Kiribati Limited,
■Te●ecom Vanuatu Limited and Datec (Fiji) Limited and its subsidiary, Datec Australia Pty Limited, the Bluesky Group and Digitec Communications Limited.
■ATH is a public company listed on the South Pacific Stock Exchange and is Fiji’s principal telecommunication holding company. This through its investments and provision of direct services in a broad range of telecommunications and related services throughout the Fiji, Kiribati and Vanuatu markets.
■The Fiji National Provident Fund (FNPF) is ATH’s largest shareholder.
Up for a cruise? Well with Blue Lagoon Cruises you have options! Blue Lagoon Cruises have introduced a new seven night cruise that will depart from Port Denarau and the new three night and five night cruises will be departing from Suva.
South Sea Cruises, general manager – Fiji & Asia Sales, Loretta St Julian‑Ooms said: “With borders for international travel still closed, along with the great response we’ve had from our Christmas and New Year cruises, we decided to add some completely new destinations to our portfolio for the local market to enjoy.
“There are many Fijians who have not explored the remote islands of Fiji so we have on offer three amazing itineraries.”
Below are excerpts of an interview with Ms St Julian‑Ooms:
Tell us abit about the Blue Lagoon Cruis‑ es three new cruise itineraries?:
The 3 Night Kadavu Islands cruise departs Suva for an exciting Kadavu adventure. The cruise takes in the islands of Dravuni, Vuro, Yabu and Namara so passengers can discover some of the best sites of Kadavu including the great Astrolabe Reef, swim in the crystal
clear waters with visiting manta ray, a guided hike and see one of the largest sea bird rookeries in Fiji.
■The
5 Night Lomaiviti, Kadavu & Beqa Islands cruise
departs Suva exploring two historical sites of Fiji being Levuka, the Old Capital and Makogai, the home of the Leper Colony of the early 1900s.
■The cruise then takes you south to Kadavu to discover the Great Astrolabe Reef as well as to enjoy pristine lagoons to swim and snorkel in.
■If you haven’t had a chance to swim with mantra ray, this is your chance to experience this thrilled activity. At Beqa Island, passengers get to witness fire walkers perform their legendary ritual, before returning to Suva.
■The 7 Night Vanua Levu & Yasawa Islands cruise takes passengers from Port Denarau to Savusavu to visit the J Hunter Pearl Farm and the KokoMana Cocoa and Chocolate Factory tour.
■I■ Taveuni, visit the International Dateline and Bouma National Heritage Park with a stop at the Wairiki Catholic Mission church.
■Two very remote islands in Fiji are Kioa and Rabi, where passengers visit the village and experience the Polynesian and Micronesian cultural displays on offer including entertainment and handicrafts.
■Kavewa Island is the next stop for a day of relaxation and lunch ashore followed by a spectacular cruise down the northern Vanua Levu coastline as the MV Fiji Princess heads towards the Yasawa Islands.
Two of the main highlights in the Yasawa Islands are the scared limestone Sawa I Lau caves and a day at the Blue Lagoon Cruises private island Nanuya Lailai, before steaming to Drawaqa
Island to snorkel some of the most lively reefs in the Naviti region and for nama lovers, you can have a nama snack while you’re out snorkeling!
Tell us bit about your target market? Locals who
■ge■era●●y take an overseas holiday and enjoy exploring new destinations but can’t travel overseas right now due to border closures
■have had on their bucket list to visit some of the more remote islands but still located within easy cruising from Suva and / or Port Denarau.
And of course anyone keen to do a cruise but have never found the time or had the budget. Our cruises are definitely great value for money right now!
■Wish to visit some of the historically important destinations within Fiji
■are fortunate enough to have the time to enjoy a local holiday
What is the cost of per person (per adult, per child, on each of the trips?
■3N Cruise - $2995 per cabin (up to 2 people), one child 5-10 years inclusive can share the parents cabin for $225 (children 0-4 years inclusive are free of charge)
■5N Cruise - $4495 per cabin (up to 2 people), one child 5-10 years inclusive can share the parents cabin for $375 (children 0-4 years inclusive are free of charge)
■7N Cruise - $6495 per cabin (up to 2 people), one child 5-10 years inclusive can share the parents cabin for $525 (children 0-4 years inclusive are free of charge)
These great prices include accommodation for two people, all meals, selected beverages and a range of activities on and off the ship each day.
Are there family packages offered for the three different cruises?
Yes, we have 4 x triple share cabins on our vessel which are ideal for small families. A child rate is available in triple share cabins that can accommodate 2 adults and 1 child 0-10 years inclusive (FJ$75 per day for 5-10-year-olds & 0-4-year-olds are free of charge). Larger families would need to take additional cabins depending on their size. Cabins can accommodate two people.
What activities can guests expect during the different cruises?
We created these itineraries around the amazing islands and the attractions they have to offer.
There are activities for all ages with lots of time at the beach to relax, swim, snorkel, delicious meals and themed dinners such as Thali, BBQ, Pacific and Seafood as well as entertainment each evening.
Depending on the cruise selected, each of our new cruises offer a range of different excursions to enjoy.
Tell us a bit about the vessel?
The vessel we will use for the cruise is the MV Fiji Princess. It measures 179 feet (55 metres).
Accommodation Onboard
M.V. Fiji Princess has 34 air-conditioned cabins accommodating up to 68 guests and up to 30 Fijian crew,
Each cabin features a yacht-style en suite, storage space, TV for in-room movies, vanity table, hairdryer, soft towels, and bathroom amenities by Pure Fiji. All cabins are above the waterline and feature windows with ocean views.
What were some of the feedback from your festive season Cruises?
The constant feedback on our cruises have been in regards to our fabulous crew who go above and beyond to make the cruise enjoyable for all our guests.
The tips shared for the crew by local passengers have also been overwhelming which the crew have been so grateful for.
Two groups of passengers composed a song to sing and dedicate to the crew to thank them for an amazing time away. Our standard of food and the variety offered has also been highlighted with many having returned for a second cruise already or looking to book to travel again soon!
Peter McPherson who is the owner and director of the Premium Care Medical Centres, has served in Fiji for over 23 years. Born in Australia, he arrived in Fiji in October 1997 as the managing director of FijiCare Insurance Limited.
Mr McPherson has recently retired from this executive role as the managing director at the insurance company.
“As I turned 68, I thought it was time for the younger people to take control but I am still a shareholder of FijiCare,” he said.
He said with his retirement, Mr McPherson felt the need to give back to the Fijian community, especially the emerging middle-class population. “I thought of giving back to the Fijian community with better, cleaner and more efficient medical services with better locations.”
Mr McPherson said it was his experience in the insurance industry which gave him an insight as to how medical facilities could be made better in the country.
Currently, Mr McPherson has opened three branches of his Premium Care Medical Centre in Suva, located in Dolphins Plaza, Amy Street and Raiwaqa respectively.
Below are excerpts of the interview with Mr
McPherson.
Could you tell us about your education background?
I have completed my primary, secondary and tertiary education in Australia.
I have got a Master of Business Administration from Western Sydney University at the age of 45.
How did you start your career?
I started work at 17.
So, I have just completed 51 years of work. I started off as a junior clerk in New Zealand insurance company located in Newcastle, Australia. I have worked in the Solomon Islands and Sydney in the insurance industry before taking up the position of a managing director in Fiji Care at the age of 45.
Now I have retired from the position of the managing director and have opened the Premium Care Medical centres in three different locations in Suva, especially for the emerging middle-class population of Fiji.
What have been some of the highlights of your career?
One highlight was designing, formulating and implementing the micro-insurance bundle product in 2020 which reached the height of FJ$133,000. The bundle product covered life, funeral, fire, personal accident insurances.
The company piloted that insurance product which offers the benefits of having both life and non-life insurance covers that no other insurers cover. What are some of the challenges you have faced in your career so far? Corporate governance has developed with such a huge demand that to keep pace with that has been difficult.
In this industry, you are also liaising with the Reserve Bank of Fiji, external and internal auditors and many other stakeholders which is a pretty big job.
The other challenges would be that there are no short cuts in this industry.
Do the best you can, be honest, and be punctual.
What impact has COVID-19 had on your life, both personal and professional?
Well, it is very tough for the insurance industry because the borders are close.
It is very difficult to cover someone’s insurance when they are abroad with the closed borders. Under urgent, extreme circumstances, we can get into New Zealand but the prices are exorbitant. Additionally, due to the financial constraints brought in by the global pandemic, debtors are finding it hard to pay for the insurance covers, especially in the western division.
Personally, I am not able to travel to my daughters who live abroad.
If I do, I will essentially spend four weeks in total in quarantine for two weeks visit and that is simply just six weeks gone for nothing.
What leadership qualities do you think you have?
I think you don’t just lead from the front.
I believe as a leader, it is important to listen to everyone – which I have tried to do as a leader. As leaders, we have to understand that what is small to you might be big to your staff members. Additionally, we should be culturally sensitive and realise that we all come from different walks of life. I have, in all these years, talked to people from different backgrounds and tried to understand them as well.
We should be mindful that they are people and not everyone is built the same.
You treat them with respect and you show them what’s required of them instead of denigrating them.
Have you been inspired or influenced by anyone in particular?
Yes, the other executives around time always have some knowledge to impart which I absorb and put into practice if necessary.
You basically learn, listen and implement what you learn.
If you were not in the insurance industry, what would you be doing right now?
Sitting by a beach on the south of France! I suppose I would still be in the insurance industry, probably in Australia, New Zealand or even Asia.
It basically means once I am in, I am in.
What business plans do you have in place once everything returns to the new normal?
Yes, I already have a chicken farm which is called Fine Feathers Limited in Waila, Nausori. It has the capacity of over 30,000 chickens. During operations, we used to supply to Crest Chicken Limited.
However, the farm has been dormant for now, so there are other plans for it which we will commence in the near future.
I also have plans to open two more branches of the medical centres in Nausori and Labasa.