A group of Solomon Islander women leaders have completed the inaugural Solomon Islands Women SOE Directors Development Pilot Program in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

Supported through the Solomon Islands–Australia Partnership, the week-long pilot program aims to strengthen the pipeline of qualified women for future State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) Board roles. 

Australian High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, Rod Hilton, said it was immensely rewarding to work with the Solomon Islands Government in building the capability of talented women for governance roles.

“Evidence tells us that inclusive leadership helps drive better outcomes,” High Commissioner Hilton said. 

“It’s inspiring to see the commitment of the Government of Solomon Islands’ to increasing the representation of women on State-Owned Enterprise Boards, through efforts that help bring more women into decision-making roles that shape Solomon Islands development.”

This initiative supports the Solomon Islands Government’s target of increasing the proportion of women on State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) boards to 20%. 

The training, delivered by the Papua New Guinea Institute of Directors, covered topics on board responsibilities, strategy formulation, and risk management, including a dedicated day of training around State-Owned Enterprise governance, as well as tailored networking events and discussions to facilitate learning and relationship-building.

Participants reported that they attended the program to strengthen their leadership and governance capabilities, and several already have plans to apply what they’ve learned. 

“Going through this program has built my confidence in my professional career going forward,” said Needy Taingeia, from the Solomon Islands Ministry of Police, National Security, and Correctional Services. 

“After this program I plan to be a part of small boards and to utilise the skills [from the training] in the executive management team I work in.”

Several participants highlighted their belief that more diverse leadership leads to more effective decision-making on boards.

“I believe that men have different qualities, women have different qualities,” said Yvonne Ogaoga, lawyer. “And when we combine them, we can make a big change.”

Malina Ilala, Chief Finance Officer with Solomon Airlines, agrees that diverse leadership can bring success, saying:“I believe it can really help a board or any organisation to embrace diversity so that you can have more ideas for making an organisation successful.” 

“Women make a lot of decisions at home in our personal lives, so the decision-making skill is there. What many don’t realise is that at the senior board levels, the key job of boards is to make decisions,” said Pamela Alamu, Institute of Solomon Islands Accountants Chief Executive Officer and one of the founders of Women in Executive Leadership Solomon Islands (WELSI). 

“With training to support and guide women in how they make decisions in the corporate space, I’m really confident that women have more than what it takes to make good decisions at the board level.” 

The initiative forms part of broader efforts led by the Economic Reform Unit of the Solomon Islands’ Ministry of Finance and Treasury, with technical support from the Asian Development Bank’s Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative (PSDI), to increase the participation of women on State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) Boards. 

PSDI is a technical assistance program supported by governments of Australia and New Zealand.