Josie Prasad is the product of a mixed relationship harbored during the ’70s when bi-racial children had barely begun to be as accepted as Fijian or Indian.
In 1969, Ms Prasad was born to Marica, an iTaukei woman originally from Natuva in Naitasiri.
Her father was a descendant of the girmitiya brought to Fiji from Uttar Pradesh in India.
He settled in Tavua.
“My beginnings and early influences were amongst the free thinkers and change-initiators, which is quite possibly the reason for my resilience to withstand adversity and promote positive change for a better now,” Ms Prasad said.
“I have a strong, kind and highly intelligent son whom I raised alone and influenced. Our legacy to continue to help those in need and teach behaviour that empower will, thankfully, continue well past my lifetime.”
Ms Prasad moved to Australia at the age of 15 and completed her secondary education at Suva Grammar School until Form 5 , Higher School Certificate (HSC) at Strathfield Girls High School in Australia and tertiary education at Macquarie University.
“Throughout my career in finance, I continued with my upskilling, allowing myself to seize opportunities that arose along the way in the fast-paced Australian industry of banking and finance.”
After pursuing a career as a private banker with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) and St George, she opted to start a mortgage advisory business 14 years ago.
“A few years later, based on a need for a more diversified model, I expanded into financial planning,” she said.
“In 2017, legislative changes were made to protect consumers and ensure that appropriate products and services were suggested and provided.”
She said these changes meant advice papers and compliance regulated requirements had to be documented.
“In other words, paperwork in my business had increased by more than 85 per cent. This changed my ability to grow my business by forcing me to work in and not on my business.
“I realised then that the paperwork needed to be cared for externally to allow our advisors to make time to build their relationships with new and existing clients.”
“Working through feasibility figures, I worked out that this shift of resources would reduce our outgoings by 75 per cent,” she added.
A Christmas holiday spent in Suva pre-covid revealed the impact of how non-diversification in an industry easily impacted developing countries and their populations.
Her desire and will to help Fiji resonated with her business partners who supported her in forming Bula Outsourcing.
Bula Outsourcing is an international outsourcing organisation that provides broker support, administrative, accounting and marketing services.
She has since taken on the role of company CEO and managing director.
“Fiji was the place I could build a business and, more importantly, finally give back to the country that raised me in my younger years.
“I created Bula with two main purposes, the first, to support and help businesses like my own in Australia by providing support that would allow them to grow successfully as they deserved.
“The second was to create a safe space for our youth to become strong, kind and resilient leaders through live lessons in fair business acumen and empowerment.”
Bula Outsourcing began with 10 staff members in July 2021, amidst the pandemic.
Six months later, the borders finally opened, enabling her to teach, mentor and empower staff face-to-face which fast-tracked the training of leaders within the business.
The 10-member staff team has since grown to 130.
She said the main hurdle in setting up offshore was the lack of understanding around the high levels of nepotism present in the old Fiji economy.
“The trust endowed to associates on the ground slowed and tempered our growth for the first two years.
“I believe that what doesn’t destroy you makes you stronger. I have now become part of a group that helps protect new investors in the outsourcing sector by supporting their set-up and sharing critical information to help ensure their success.”
Ms Prasad said the company promoted Fiji as an outsourcing destination globally.
“In Australia, a promotion of celebrating successes rather than tear downs was a behaviour promoted and acted out always, In Fiji, we have yet to achieve that. I am, however, an optimist and know that with time, comes change.
“In my darkest moments at the very beginning of setting up Bula Outsourcing, my strength of support was drawn from the women of Fiji residing in Australia.
She said her most treasured memory has been defined by her identity as a woman in leadership.
