From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 18, no. 2, August 2003.

The new General Manager of the Westpac Bank of Tonga, Mishka Tu‘ifua (37), is a winner.

Mishka is not only the first Tongan to manage the 29 year old bank, but also the first woman and the youngest person ever to become its General Manager.

She took over the top job at the WBOT on July 1 from the former General Manager, Brian Harris, who returned to Australia.

Mishka described her appointment as, “almost unbelievable.” Although it was a career goal, she did not know if it was possible to achieve.

“Yes, I had a goal, a desire to come back to Tonga and work for Tonga in some capacity. I thought that to come back through the Westpac channel was one of the options available. I would have looked at other options if they presented themselves, but I am extremely privileged to come through Westpac Tonga. I think it was only during the last two years that I crystalised in my own mind that I was really serious about it and I wanted to achieve it, now it is a reality it is almost unbelievable.”

Mishka has been with Westpac Sydney for 15 years and before she came to Tonga she was in charge of the Westpac international operations in Perth, Victoria, Brisbane and Sydney.

She is a mother of five children, but she is returning to Tonga with the two youngest and her husband, who will be embarking on a new business venture.