THIS Friday, independent and non-partisan and non-aligned entity Leadership Fiji (LF) will commemorate the day it was incorporated back in 2001, celebrating 25 years of leadership development and impact across the country.
This year’s silver jubilee celebration is themed ’25 years of impact since 2001′, with the focus set on highlighting the 25 years of impact on leadership in Fiji.
This milestone is a moment for the institution to honour its founding members, alumni, dedicated and loyal partners and the wider community who have been part of this journey all those years.
And to do that, Leadership Fiji has organised a series of events through its Leaders Lounge event series to be hosted every second Tuesday of each month from February through to October this year, which will be at the heart of its 25th silver anniversary celebrations.
Each Leaders Lounge series – the first scheduled for Tuesday February 10 – is expected to bring together inspiring guest speakers, reflections from its founders, and powerful storytelling from alumni, fellows, stakeholders and leaders, capturing the spirit of collaboration and impact.
Yesterday, Leadership Fiji chief executive officer Sharyne Fong announced the renewal of its partnership with The Greenhouse Studio in marking this celebration.
As Leadership Fiji marks this milestone year, Ms Fong said the renewed partnership reflected the meaningful ways in which alumni continue to give back to the organisation that helped shape their leadership journey.
She said The Greenhouse Studio’s ongoing creative and digital support reinforced the role of LF alumni in strengthening the organisation’s capacity to communicate its purpose, impact, and vision with clarity and confidence.
An award-winning, multidisciplinary studio based in Fiji, The Greenhouse Studio provides support across digital platforms and key publications, including Leadership Fiji’s website and annual report.
Several members of its team are alumni of the LF program, and their continued contribution through professional expertise exemplifies LF’s belief that leadership is demonstrated through action, service, and commitment to community.
“We appreciate the support of The Greenhouse Studio and their leadership team in continuing their partnership with Leadership Fiji,” Ms Fong said.
“As part of our partnership, they developed our website back in 2017 and have continued to support us with development and content updates.
“Over the years, The Greenhouse Studio has grown into opening Greenhouse Coworking, and today they continue to share this growth with us by providing the venue space to host our 25th anniversary Leaders Lounge event series, highlighting that they share our vision to develop and enhance the quality of leaders in Fiji,” she said.
The Greenhouse Studio co-lead and an LF alumni Joshua Dean said LF’s mission to develop values-driven community-minded leaders was deeply aligned with what they were building at Greenhouse.
“As alumni, many of us carry forward the lessons of service, collaboration and responsibility into our everyday work, and this partnership is one way we continue to give back,” Mr Dean said.
“Greenhouse Coworking was created as a supportive, inclusive space for people and organisations doing meaningful work and we’re proud to host Leadership Fiji’s Leaders Lounge series in our new home at Burton Place as part of their 25th anniversary celebrations.
“It feels fitting to bring leaders together in a space designed for connection, learning and shared purpose,” he said.
As Leadership Fiji looks ahead, Ms Fong said the continued partnership with The Greenhouse Studio highlighted the relationship between the organisation and its alumni, and the collective role they played in supporting leadership development, positive change, and strong institutions across the country.
The Leaders Lounge events to be held at The Greenhouse Studio at Burton Place in Nasese, Suva, each month will focus on certain topics, as follows:
-February 10 – Alumni intergenerational insights;
-March 10 – Dialogue with our founders;
-April 14 – Innovative leadership;
-May 12 – Resilient futures;
-June 9 – Entrepreneurial insights;
-July 14 – Governance and impact;
-August 11 – Youth civic leadership;
-September 8 – Voices of leadership; and
– October 13 – Legacy through story.
These series will be in different formats – talanoa sessions, panel discussions and storytelling.
“We invite our alumni, partners and networks to be part of these events as we come together to celebrate 25 years of impact on leadership in Fiji,” Ms Fong said.
Meanwhile, the Leadership Fiji CEO has also met with representatives of its partners Fiji Times Ltd and Communications Fiji Ltd (CFL) that will be publishing a special edition throughout its anniversary celebrations; and updates will also be featured on its website and social media platforms.
There is also a 25th anniversary video developed by The First Fighter founder and alumni Dave Lavaki that will be shown during the celebration.
“So what we want to do is to highlight the 25 years of impact on leadership that we’ve had in this country, and perhaps spreading across the Pacific as we look to our alumni who are present, who are now in positions of influence in society, in our nation, across Fiji and in the Pacific.
“We’ve seen quite a substantial amount of alumni giving back, and so that’s about celebrating those 25 years of impact.”
The Leadership Fiji initiative is aimed specifically at assisting emerging leaders to cope with demands of the ever-changing world so that Fiji reaches its full potential in the widest sense.
Its aim is to expose participants to leaders from across society, in a structured manner, providing them with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of their country, its history, economic and social structure.
The result, according to the organisation, is the hope of the development of a new generation of leaders equipped to take Fiji forward into the 21st century as a united dynamic nation.
Leadership Fiji CEO Sharyne Fong, from left, speaks to the media as Greenhouse coworking community manager Kirisitiana Navuta, Greenhouse Studio community and partnership lead Princesse Comagon and Co-lead, design Joshua Dean listens on during the press conference in Suva yesterday. Picture: JONACANI LALAKOBAU
