THE Fiji Institute of Chartered Accountants (FICA) has promised a strong and diverse line-up of speakers at the FICA Congress, its annual flagship event, this year.
The FICA Congress 2026, with the theme: “Charting New Horizons for a Changing World”, will be held on May 8 to 9 at the Crowne Plaza Fiji Nadi Bay Resort & Spa in Wailoaloa Beach.
“We have curated a strong and diverse line-up of speakers, both local and international, including policymakers, global experts, and industry leaders,” FICA president Sharvek Naidu said.
“Participants can expect insights from senior government/industry representatives, international organisations such as the World Bank, regional standard setters, and leaders from business and professional bodies.
“The programme is designed to provide a balance of global perspectives and local relevance.
“In addition, the inclusion of a motivational speaker, interactive panel discussions and a debate will ensure that the Congress is not only informative, but also engaging and thought-provoking.”
Speaker profiles
Naca Cawanibuka – From Olympic glory to high-performance leadership excellence
Naca Cawanibuka is the general manager – High Performance at Fiji Rugby Union, bringing over two decades of experience in elite sport as a former international player, coach, and high-performance specialist. A product of Stella Maris School and Marist Brothers High School in Suva, Mr Cawanibuka represented Fiji at U21 level before progressing to the Fiji National 7s team and Emerging Fiji XV.
Following his playing career, Cawanibuka transitioned into education as a teacher and coach, laying a strong foundation in youth athlete development. He joined Fiji Rugby Union in 2008 as a Strength & Conditioning Coach, playing a pivotal role in the physical preparation of the Fiji Men’s 7s team during their historic Olympic gold medal victories in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
He later became Head of Athletic Performance for the Fijian Drua in Super Rugby Pacific, where he established the club’s high-performance systems. Appointed to his current executive role in 2025, Mr Cawanibuka now oversees performance strategy across all national programs.
He holds a Master’s in Sports Science and High Performance from Otago Polytechnic, with research focused on Fiji’s Olympic success.
Heidi Dening – Turning adversity into resilience and high performance
Heidi Dening believes that education changes lives. Combining the insights she has learned from surviving a paralysing illness, a gunpoint kidnapping, a life-threatening tsunami, a catastrophic earthquake and petrol bombs with her impressive business and health education background, she has a unique ability to elevate the professional resilience of leaders and their teams.
This enables them to adapt better to change and unpredictable business challenges, which means organisations retain high-performing professionals who are proactive about getting results.
Heidi has dedicated her career to inspiring people with practical strategies that improve professional resilience and self-leadership qualities, from small children on remote Pacific islands to professional teams across 21 different industries.
This has meant she has delivered onstage and online presentations and programs to tens of thousands of professionals worldwide, including Coca-Cola, Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy, Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), Raine and Horne, Financial Planners Association, Metcash, Insurance Council of Australia, and Westpac.
She was named ‘Best International Keynote Speaker’ in the Asia Pacific region and is the author of an Amazon best-selling leadership book called ”Her Middle Name is Courage – How Self-Leadership Transforms Pressure into Performance, Chaos into Clarity and Rage into Resilience”.
Heidi is frequently sought out as a resilience expert across all media platforms (radio, podcast, print and TV) with notable features in Channel Nine’s Weekend Today, SBS News, Sydney Morning Herald, Women’s Agenda, Smart Company, and Mamamia.
Patricia McKenzie – Global leadership in public finance and reform
Patricia McKenzie: Pat is a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Accountants of England and Wales (FCCA). She holds a post graduate certificate in Public Financial Management from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Executive leadership certificates from Duke University Fuqua School of Business and from the Cambridge University Institute for Sustainability Leadership.
With over 35 years of post-qualification experience in the fields of International Development, Central Banking, Commercial Banking, Oil and Gas Finance, Accounting and Auditing, Pat has worked in four geographic Regions (Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa and East and Southern Sub-Sahara Africa and most recently, East Asia and the Pacific).
She has worked directly with diverse clients in Low, Middle Income and OECD countries and extensively with National Audit Offices, leading policy dialogue and technical assistance, in support of their modernisation and reform programs.
Heidi Dening. Picture: SUPPLIED
Patricia McKenzie. Picture: SUPPLIED
