Senior Solomon Islands media leaders say a week-long management program in Australia has equipped them with fresh skills, new perspectives and renewed confidence to strengthen their respective organisations.
The third cohort of the Australian Graduate School of Management’s General Manager program offered at the University of New South Wales Australian Graduate School of Management include President of the Media Association of Solomon Islands and co-owner In-depth Solomons, Ofani Eremae, co-owner Tavuli News, Ms Elizabeth Osifelo and administrator of YUMI TOKTOK FORUM, Benjamin Afuga.
Supported by the Australian government, the program focused on honing on leadership and business skills and helps executives refine leadership capabilities, functional knowledge and strategic insight to drive organisational performance.
Other partciipants include business executives from Australian companies including Rio Tinto, Woolworths, Standards Australia, and Santo, as well as international participants from New Zealand.
Mr Eremae said the training offered the opportunity to learn new management and leadership skills, while providing the opportunity to mingle and interact with some of Australia’s senior managers and company executives.
“The five-day training opened a whole new world of management and decision-making processes for someone like me, because I am new to managing a news outlet and I am leading the Media Association of Solomon Islands at the same time,” Mr Eremae said.
Elizabeth Osifelo said the programme was timely because it gave her the opportunity to step back from ‘business as usual’ and look at Tavuli News through a different lens.
“Being in the same room with other CEOs gave me insights which will benefit Tavuli News in the long term. I appreciate the cultural programme before the training too as I learned more about Australian history and culture,” Osifelo said.
“The training has been beneficial, looking at the current systems in place within the organisation and keeping up with the evolving technology and adapting to best practices in the workplace. Sincere thank you to the Australian Government for enabling this opportunity,” she said.
Afuga said the General Manager programme at the Australian Graduate School of Management was an invaluable experience.
“[It offered] fresh perspectives and practical strategies that I can immediately apply in my work,” Mr Afuga said.
“The insights gained will not only enhance my leadership capabilities, but also contribute positively to the growth and development of Solomon Islands. I’m grateful for the opportunity and look forward to leveraging these learnings for lasting impact.”.
