Mr Nikunj Soni (Chair)

Nikunj Soni is the Board Chair of the Pacific Institute of Public Policy, which he founded in 2007. He has worked extensively on economic and public financial management issues across the Pacific since 1996, and has authored papers on a wide variety of topics ranging from revenue reforms, expenditure management, macroeconomic modelling to more general development papers on issues like drivers of change and governance reform. Nik has held a wide variety of senior advisory and in line positions in the region including as the Director General of the Ministry of Finance in Timor-Leste. He has an MPhil from Oxford, and outside of public policy is also the chair of the largest renewable energy NGO in Vanuatu. He is currently a senior treasury advisor to the Vanuatu Government.

Mr Odo Tevi

Mr Tevi is serving his second term as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Vanuatu.

Mr Kalio Tavola

Mr Tavola served as Fiji’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and prior to that as Ambassador to Belgium (also accredited to France, Portugal, Spain, Luxembourg and Greece, as well as to UNESCO and the WTO).

Mr Afamasaga Toleafoa

Mr Toleafoa served for 20 years as a diplomat and then Member of Parliament in Samoa. He currently provides consulting services in public sector reform and governance and is a regular contributor to the regional media.

Mr Matthew Morris 

Matt is a researcher specialising in aid and development policy and Deputy Director of the Development Policy Centre at Australian National University. Before joining the ANU, he was the head of economics for the UK aid program in India and has fifteen years experience as a professional economist. Matt has provided economic advice for the Australian, Papua New Guinea and UK governments in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. He has a Masters degree in Development Economics from the University of Sussex and started his career as an ODI Fellow in PNG.

Mr Rick Houenipwela

Mr Houenipwela served three terms as Governor of the Central Bank of Solomon Islands (1993-2008) before going on to advise the World Bank Executive in Washington. He currently serves as the Minister of Finance in Solomon Islands.