Some people leave an organisation with a record of the work they completed. Others leave their mark in the relationships they built, the people they encouraged and the community they helped create.
After more than 10 years with the Fiji Commerce & Employers Federation (FCEF), Fiona Dansey leaves a legacy that encompasses all of these.
Known affectionately as Fee, Fiona is FCEF’s longest-serving secretariat team member and, since 2019, has been the steady backbone behind the Women Entrepreneurs Business Council (WEBC). To her colleagues, she has been a trusted member of the small FCEF team. To WEBC members, she has been a coordinator, organiser, advocate, connector and friend.
“Fee’s journey reflects the very best of FCEF – growth, service and commitment to people. Over more than a decade, she became a trusted colleague and a driving force behind WEBC’s work. Her contribution will remain part of FCEF’s story for many years to come,” FCEF chief executive officer Edward Bernard said.
From the front desk to WEBC
Fiona joined FCEF in 2016 as a receptionist, and was quickly recognised as the welcoming face who greeted members, partners and visitors arriving at the office. Within a few years, Fee’s willingness to learn, accept greater responsibility and step outside her comfort zone landed her the role of coordinator of one of FCEF’s most active councils – Women Entrepreneur Business Councils (WEBC). Working under FCEF and alongside successive WEBC Council members, chairpersons and committees, Fee was the backbone supporting WEBC, turning the council’s plans into action. Coordinating programs, maintaining partnerships, supporting members and ensuring the voices of women in both formal and informal businesses were represented.
“Fiona has been an important part of WEBC’s journey, and her contribution has gone beyond the work itself. She brought commitment, energy and a genuine willingness to support women in business. As she moves into a new chapter, we thank her for what she has given to WEBC and wish her every success in the opportunities ahead,” WEBC chair Jyoti Maharaj said.
Bridging the gap
In 2020, during Fee’s first year as WEBC coordinator, the council delivered its Bridging the Gap workshops deep in the highlands of Navosa in Draubuta Village, reaching more than 60 women involved in handicrafts, vegetable and yaqona farming, beekeeping, market stalls and food businesses.
Under the WEBC banner, Fee worked behind the scenes to coordinate the workshops and bring together Westpac, the Fiji Public Trustee Corporation, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation.
Through these partnerships, participants received practical guidance on financial literacy, wills, farm management, income-generating activities, upcycling and recycling.
The ‘Bridging the Gap’ initiative was later extended to Vunisinu, Tikina o Dreketi, Rewa; Transformation International, Lautoka; Nukudamu Village, Cakaudrove (Udu Peninsula), Vanua Levu and Beqa offering support through financial-literacy and business training including business basics, goal setting, trauma-informed decision-making, social entrepreneurship and upcycling.
For Fee, this work was more than program coordination. As a woman from Nasilai Village in Rewa, she understood the distance—both geographical and institutional—that can separate rural women from formal business networks. Her role was often to bridge that distance: bringing the right organisations together, coordinating the practical details and helping ensure opportunities reached women in communities that might otherwise have been overlooked.
Turning information into opportunity
During COVID-19, many women turned to small businesses to support their families. However, business registration, taxation, occupational health and safety requirements and labour obligations could be intimidating for a new entrepreneur.
In response, WEBC developed an online Business Start-up Toolkit in 2021 with funding from the Fiji Women’s Fund. The toolkit brought information from different agencies together and explained the steps involved in starting and formalising a business in clear, practical language.
The partnership with Women’s Fund Fiji, established in 2019, became an important part of WEBC’s ability to support women. Funding, including resilience assistance during the pandemic, enabled the council to continue capacity-building work during one of the most difficult periods for Fiji’s businesses. Fee played a critical role in coordinating these initiatives, maintaining relationships, supporting reporting requirements and ensuring assistance reached the women for whom it was intended.
Creating platforms for women
With Fee coordinating WEBC’s involvement, the council and the Makoi Women’s Vocational Training Centre were selected to implement the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs in Fiji, with funding and support from the United States Embassy in Suva.
Fiji became the first country in the region to deliver the program. Following the success of the inaugural program, the United States Embassy extended its support to WEBC and the Makoi Women’s Vocational Training Centre to expand the Academy’s reach across Fiji. Behind the program’s delivery, Fee helped coordinate participants, facilitators and partners, supporting women through the different stages of their learning journey. Between 2019 – 2024, more than 500 women entrepreneurs have graduated from this program.
WIN Convention
Fee has played a major role as the coordinator bringing the Women Invigorating the Nation (WIN) Convention to life. The first WIN Convention was held in 2022 and attracted more than 100 women. With the leadership of the WEBC Council, dedicated organising committees and the support of sponsors and partners, WIN became an annual national platform connecting entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, policymakers, community advocates and development partners. In 2026, the Convention celebrated its fifth anniversary, bringing together 230 delegates!
The person behind the programs
Programs and partnerships provide one way of measuring Fee’s contribution. They do not tell the whole story.
Her influence can also be found in the phone calls answered, introductions made, funding proposals supported, registrations resolved, members encouraged and countless details managed quietly behind the scenes. Fee helped make WEBC more than a professional network. She helped make it a community where women felt welcomed and supported. Her ability to build relationships helped FCEF and the WEBC Council work effectively with diplomatic missions, development agencies, government ministries, financial institutions, civil-society organisations and women entrepreneurs throughout Fiji.
Vinaka vakalevu Fee
Fiona arrived as the person who welcomed people through FCEF’s doors. She leaves having helped open doors for women across Fiji.
“Having worked closely with Fee during my time as WEBC Vice Chair and Chair, I saw the dedication, quiet strength and warmth she brought to the Council. She worked tirelessly behind the scenes, supported women across Fiji and remained a steady anchor for WEBC. I wish her every happiness and success in her next chapter,” former WEBC chairperson Vera Chute said.
Thank you Fee for more than a decade of service, for the heart you brought to WEBC and for every woman you encouraged to believe that her business and her voice mattered.
Vinaka vakalevu Fee.
Fiona Dansey presenting at one of the WEBC programs. Picture: SUPPLIED
