Women have the potential to excel as chief executive officers both in their households and in the corporate world, according to a leadership expert at the Asian Development Bank. Sarah Boxall conducted a four-day program in Suva aimed at senior executive women aspiring to work in the corporate sector.
The program, organized by the Fiji Institute of Chartered Accountants, focused on helping women build confidence, expand their skill sets and knowledge of business operations, and establish networks with other women in senior private sector positions. Boxall is an expert in women’s economic empowerment at the Asian Development Bank’s Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative.
Institute president, Wiliki Takiveikata, stated that the training enhanced the capacity of participants to excel in their workplaces. He mentioned that the pioneers of this training program now possess practical tools to strategically progress in their careers.
“We hope they draw strength from the network they will establish through the programme and are motivated by the stories shared by our guest speakers on career transitions, effective operation in a board-setting, and other interesting topics,” Takiveikata said.
The four-day training was conducted by Gina Houng-Lee and academic Nacaniela Rika, with participation capped at 25 women from 15 different organizations.
Boxall noted that Fiji lags behind neighboring island countries in terms of female leadership roles at the corporate level, a situation that hinders the country from reaching its full economic potential.
“This programme is designed to guide women to top senior executive roles,” she said. However, she highlighted several challenges, including organizational policies, workplace sexual harassment, and issues at the legislative and policy levels that prevent women from staying in jobs.