SUCCESS in the financial world today should not simply be about balancing books or measuring financial performance.
Adi Lilyninatewa Wainiu instead wants to use her knowledge to help communities safeguard their resources and create opportunities for future generations.
The Manager Compliance and Engagement at Pasifika Communities University (PCU) in Nasese, formerly Pacific Theological College, has spent 11 years building her career in finance, moving through the corporate, commercial, non-governmental organisation and education sectors.
A native of Bau Lomanikoro, on the chiefly island of Bau, Ms Wainiu belongs to the Naua household of the Seniloli family and has maternal links to Waimaro in Naitasiri.
Her passion for accounting began after university, but her experience working with non-governmental organisations broadened her perspective.
“I developed a passion for community,” she said.
That passion now informs her interest in Intemerate Accounting, an alternative approach to conventional accounting that she has studied at PCU.
While mainstream accounting focuses largely on money, she believes communities need ways to measure and protect their resources rather than exhaust them in pursuit of economic development.
Her academic journey includes a bachelor’s degree from the University of the South Pacific, postgraduate studies in forensic accounting and fraud investigation, and a master’s degree in professional accounting that she is nearing completion.
However, she measures achievement differently.
“I would rather measure my value not in my achievement academically, but rather how many people that I can influence and impact with the skills that I’ve got,” she said.
Ms Wainiu was among 26 participants in the Fiji Institute of Chartered Accountants’ Senior Executive Women in Leadership Programme 2026, a four-day workshop held at Suva’s Grand Pacific Hotel.
The experience prompted her to reconsider her long-held ambition of retiring at 45, with community service, board membership and mentoring women now featuring in her future plans.
She encourages aspiring women leaders to look beyond technical expertise and embrace opportunities.
“Don’t ever limit yourself to that Excel, that number, but strive for leadership positions, step up, step out, have the confidence, have the courage and know that the possibility is endless,” she said.
Looking towards the next decade, Ms Wainiu hopes to prioritise fulfilment and a holistic approach to life, with God and family remaining paramount.
Guided by faith and grateful for mentors Aisake Casimira and Dr Akanisi Kedrayate, she hopes to use her experience to empower others.
