Dr Manumatavai Tupou-Roosen, was elected by Pacific Governments earlier this year to be the Director General of the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA). She is one of the few Tongans and women entrusted to take charge of regional bodies in the Pacific.

She told Matangi Tonga that passion, faith and cooperation were key for any Tongan aspiring to be a leader.

“Identify your passion, set your goals and work hard”, she said.

“(Have) an unshakeable belief in yourself and what you can do with a strong faith in God…No one does anything alone, so equally important is the heart and drive to work with others to serve those that we lead to the best that we can.”

A former student of Tonga High School, Tupou-Roosen, excelled academically and won scholarships to universities in New Zealand and England. In 2005, she began working for the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, an organization representing 17 Pacific countries including Tonga.

As Director General, Tupou-Roosen said that her primary responsibility to was: “to ensure that the FFA is as effective and efficient as possible in achieving its vision of maximising social and economic benfits for our people.”

According Dr Tupou-Roosen, some of the challenges currently facing the Forum Fisheries Agency concerned the maintenance of regional solidarity, maximising of economic returns, combatting Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and enhancing social returns.