FIJI Development Bank chief executive officer Filimone Waqabaca has been appointed the new board chairman of Investment Fiji.
Mr Waqabaca brings 35 years of distinguished leadership in public service, finance and diplomacy to his new role.
His extensive career includes serving as Fiji’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Japan and High Commissioner to New Zealand, and permanent secretary for Finance and National Planning. He had also served as chairman of the Fiji Rugby Union, Airports Terminal Services, the Higher Salaries Commission, the Tax Agents Board, and the Budget Aid and Coordinating Committee. His contributions extend to several other national bodies and councils, including the Reserve Bank of Fiji, the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service, the University of the South Pacific Council, and the Fiji National University Council; and has also served on the boards of various State-owned enterprises, such as the Fiji Electricity Authority, Amalgamated Telecom Holdings, and the Pacific Fishing Company. His journey in the financial sector began in 1990 at the Reserve Bank of Fiji as a Technical Assistant, where he rose through the ranks to become the Chief Manager of Economics and later the Chief Manager of Financial Systems Development and Compliance. Mr Waqabaca also gained significant international experience as an economic and policy analyst for the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and as an adviser to the executive director in the Southeast Asia office of the International Monetary Fund.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the USP and a Master of Science in International Banking and Financial Studies from the University of Southampton, United Kingdom.
Investment Fiji welcomed Mr Waqabaca saying his visionary leadership would be instrumental in driving Fiji’s economic growth and lead the institution towards new horizons.
Filimone Waqabaca. Picture: SUPPLIED / FILE
