Mereani Naisara is a woman with a plan.
As a young public servant in Fiji she had two clear goals – complete her master’s degree before turning 35 make the shift to professional consulting before turning 50.
With a master’s in forensic accounting completed, Mereani became a certified forensic accountant and is now employed in her second international position as the Chief Financial Officer of the Kiribati Public Utilities Board
A diverse leadership role with community impacts
Kiribati’s Public Utilities Board is responsible for providing safe, reliable and affordable power, water and wastewater services to more than 56,000 residents in South Tarawa. As Chief Financial Officer, Mereani supports the Chief Executive Officer to design and implement corporate strategy, oversee financial reform and manage the implementation of new financial management practices designed to support the Public Utilities Board and its personnel to deliver critical, sustainable services.
Mereani also mentors, coaches and trains her colleagues and works with them to strengthen internal processes, while ensuring those processes are workable within the context and available resources. She also works closely with the senior management of other government departments to ensure the Public Utilities Board receives outstanding electricity, sewerage and water payments.
Mereani’s first priority is the welfare of the Public Utilities Board staff, and this includes ensuring internal systems are in place and working, such as the timely processing of staff pays.
As Chief Financial Officer, Mereani also plays a key role in ensuring the Public Utilities Board delivers on its mandate to provide services to South Tarawa residents. For example, the Public Utilities Board senior leadership, is working with ministers and senior leadership from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, the State-Owned Enterprises Monitoring and Advisory Unit, and the oil supplier to find a solution to power blackouts across South Tarawa.
An international career track for Pacific professionals
Mereani’s first international role was an Internal Audit Adviser with the Ministry of Finance and Treasury in Solomon Islands
She recognises that stepping into a professional consulting career, particularly an international career, can be daunting for many. Her advice to someone considering taking the step, including professionals from the Pacific?
“Go ahead, that’s the market. Take the challenge. Know you’re value and know you’re worth. Take your experience to another level in the Pacific government, share your expertise and your knowledge and contribute to change and feel proud – from nation building to regional building.”
Partnering to fill critical public sector roles
The Government of Kiribati can be faced with significant challenges when it comes to recruiting senior public service positions due to a small national workforce an candidates with the needed skills and experience. In 2021, the Public Utilities Board partnered with the Australia-Pacific Partnerships Platform to recruit and deploy a new Chief Financial Officer to Kiribati.
Working with the Partnerships Platform gave the Public Utilities Board access to regional and international networks and strong recruitment and deployment procedures. The Partnerships Platform’s services also extend to the logistical and pastoral care systems that can play an important role in ensuring personnel can relocate, find accommodation, orientate and establish themselves in a new country and focus on the professional demands of a senior public service role.
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The Australia-Pacific Partnerships Platform supports Australia and partner Pacific countries as they continue working together to build a stable, prosperous and secure region. It provides Pacific countries with a suite of flexible, fit-for-purpose services that support development investments in governance, stability and resilience in the region. The Australia-Pacific Partnerships Platform is supported by the Australian Government and managed by DT Global.
