A warm, conversational gathering at the Greenhouse Co‑Working space in Nasese on Wednesday became the latest chapter in Leadership Fiji’s history as founders and alumni met for the organisation’s Leaders Lounge event to reflect on its origins and chart its future. Founders William Parkinson, Sufi Dean and Dr Wame Baravilala — the latter joining virtually — led an intergenerational discussion that revisited the movement’s birth in the wake of the 2000 coup and the program’s steady evolution since.
Rather than opening with statistics, the founders recalled the uncertainty and social fracture that followed the coup. Dr Wame said his first reaction on hearing the news was, “Oh my God, we haven’t learned a thing. It’s happening all over again!” Ms Dean grew emotional recounting scenes of looting, burning and violence she witnessed outside her office on Waimanu Road that morning. Those memories, they said, seeded a people‑centred approach to leadership training designed to repair divisions and build civic resilience.
Parkinson traced Leadership Fiji’s beginnings to a small circle of committed partners and mentors who helped design the program’s formative elements, including the opening retreat that challenges participants to step outside their comfort zones. As the program matured, new components were added responsive to local needs. Parkinson highlighted one such addition: Sufi Dean’s idea for an Etiquette Dinner, which “turned into one of the most powerful parts of the program,” creating a space for honest reflection and personal connection among participants.
About 15 years ago the curriculum incorporated adaptive leadership principles, a shift founders said moved conversations away from leadership as a title toward leadership as behaviour — how people respond to challenges, mobilise others and manage change. That philosophical shift was later reinforced by the introduction of community action projects, when cohorts began taking on practical initiatives in communities. Those on‑the‑ground projects eventually led to the establishment of the Leadership Fiji Fellows program, extending the organisation’s impact beyond single cohorts.
Parkinson stressed that the programme’s growth was collective: every founder, mentor, cohort and partner had contributed to its shape. He pointed to a broad network of businesses, institutions and individuals whose sustained support provided the “firm financial roots” and diversity — across industries, ethnicities and regions — that distinguish Leadership Fiji. “I honestly don’t know of another leadership program quite like this,” he said, underscoring the organisation’s distinctive blend of experiential learning and community engagement.
The conversation at Nasese was not only retrospective. With Fiji continuing to navigate complex political, economic and social challenges, Parkinson urged alumni from the post‑coup generation to step into leadership roles. He said long‑standing founders and mentors must make room for newer voices and stressed that leadership would not be handed over automatically: emerging leaders must earn their place through service and results. The Leaders Lounge, organisers said, is intended to keep that multigenerational dialogue alive as Leadership Fiji adapts to meet the country’s changing needs.
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