Tomasi Tuitoga has been appointed an independent director of Shreedhar Motors Limited (SML), completing the board composition required for the company’s recent listing on the South Pacific Stock Exchange (SPX). His appointment took effect immediately and was formally acknowledged at SML’s official listing ceremony last week, the company confirmed.
Tuitoga brings 28 years’ experience across commercial, advisory and litigation work to the SML board. Now a partner at the Haniff Tuitoga law firm, he has practised in areas including commercial transactions, insurance, construction law, employment, property and complex commercial disputes. He has also held senior roles at two of Fiji’s leading law firms, the company noted.
Academically, Tuitoga holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Tasmania and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Australian National University. He is admitted to practise before the High Court of Fiji, the High Court of Australia and the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory, underscoring a transnational legal standing that SML said will be valuable as it adjusts to public company obligations.
SML board chairman Satya Maharaj welcomed Tuitoga’s appointment, saying his “extensive legal, regulatory and governance background would strengthen the board’s oversight capability as the company entered a new phase of growth and public accountability.” Maharaj added that, together with the other independent directors, Tuitoga completes a group that brings “a balanced mix of legal, financial, industry and community leadership experience” to the listed company.
Tuitoga joins Bruce Sutton and Fantasha Lockington, who were appointed as SML’s independent directors in January. Those earlier appointments began the process of aligning the board with listing governance standards; Tuitoga’s addition finalises the independent director complement required under the listing framework, SML said.
The appointment marks the latest development in SML’s transition to a publicly listed company. By completing its board composition and formally acknowledging the new director at last week’s listing event, SML has signalled its readiness to operate under the increased transparency and regulatory scrutiny that come with a SPX listing, and to pursue the growth objectives the board has outlined.
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