HON. KUMAR WELCOMES NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS
​
Tuesday 16 June 2020 - The Minister for Housing and Community Development Hon. Premila Kumar today welcomed the newly appointed board members of the Public Rental Board (PRB) and Housing Authority (HA) of Fiji.
Whilst addressing the new Board, the Minister thanked each member for responding to the call to serve the boards.
“Providing affordable housing to low and middle income earners is one of the priorities of the Government and both Housing Authority and PRB has to play a significant role in realizing this vision. Both the institutions need significant changes in all areas to respond quickly with cost effective housing solution to the increasing demand for affordable housing in Fiji. I thank you all sincerely for accepting this challenge,” said Hon. Kumar.
The Minister added that under the leadership of Lorraine Seeto as the Chairperson, the new Board is expected to bring in new and innovative ways of improving the level of service of the two institutions.
"Introducing a robust organisation structure assisted with a strong digital platform is one of the priorities of the new Board. This is essential in order to improve the customer service and transparency of the two institutions,” stated Hon. Kumar.
The new members are;
Ms Seeto has spent over 36 years with the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) and she served as the Chief Manager, Governor’s Office at RBF. She has also served as Chief Manager Currency and Corporate Services, the Advisor to the Governor, Chief Manager Risk Management and Communications, Chief Manager Corporate Planning and Assurance and Deputy Research Director. Ms Seeto holds a Master of Commerce degree from the University of the South Pacific. She also currently acts as the Chairperson of Budget and Finance Committee of Alliance for Financial Inclusion based in Kuala Lumpur (current) and member of the Fiji Institute of Banker’s Committee of Management, Professional Development Committee of the Fiji Institute of Accountants and the Advisory Committee of the School of Economics, University of the South Pacific.
Ms Jiuta currently serves as the General Manager - Operations at the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission (FCCC) She joined FCCC in 2016 as the Board Secretary, later being appointed as the Manager Legal, Risk Management & Governance. Ms Jiuta has also served as the Senior Legal Officer at the Legal Aid Commission. She holds a Bachelor of Law and Professional Diploma in Legal Practice from the University of the South Pacific.
Mr. Permal was appointed to the Board in May 2016. Mr Permal holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of New South Wales in Australia. Currently Mr Permal is a Senior Civil Engineer at HLK Jacob Limited with extensive background in structural engineering, construction engineering and project management. He is a member of the Institute of Engineers of both Fiji and Australia.
Ms. Ali is the group financial controller and company secretary of Fiji Fish Marketing Group company and its 11 related entities. She also holds membership in professional bodies like CPA Australia, Australian Institute of Company Directors and Leadership Fiji. In her professional work experience under the Fiji Fish Marketing Group she was the Group financial controller responsible for the financial management and control of the company. Anabel worked 10 years at PKF aliz Pacific where she was the manager overseeing the review of audits. The current board memberships of which Anabel is a member includes Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji, Basic Industries Limited, WOWs(kids) Fiji, Leadership Alumni and Total Fiji Ltd. Anabel shares some special interest which focusses on growth through innovation and governance in SME’s and MSME’s, Community and grassroots governance and promoting diversity through gender, skills and executive team composition. Miss Ali was appointed as a Board Director in May 2019.
Mr. Raj is a senior officer of the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS) and has more than 17 years of Taxation and Customs knowledge. He is currently the Chief Assessor Gold Card Services & Authorised Economic Operator responsible for the management of Gold Card Service Centre, and Authorised Economic Operators of the Service. Raj holds double Masters Degrees namely, Master of Business Administration & Master of Commerce in Professional Accounting from the University of the South Pacific. He also holds Bachelor of Arts in Accounting & Financial Management and Post Graduate Certificate & Diploma in Financial Administration and Business Administration from University of the South Pacific. Mr. Raj is a Chartered Accountant member with Fiji Institute of Accountants and a Fellow member with Institute of Financial Accountants, United Kingdom and also a Fellow member of Institute of Public Accountants, Australia. In addition to his professional career at FRCS, Mr. Raj is a Council Member and Vice President of the Fiji Institute of Accountants. Mr. Raj was appointed as a Board Director in May 2019.
End.
For further information please contact:
Mr. Sanjeeva Perera
Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Housing and Community Development
Email: sanjeeva.perera@govnet.gov.fj
Tel: 3304 364