Fononga Vainga Mangisi-Mafileo, PhD
Fononga Vainga Mangisi‑Mafileo is a Pacificleadership expert and Senior Advisor on Ocean Governance with nearly 20 yearsof national and regional experience. She has been at the forefront of Tonga’socean governance reforms, including drafting the Tonga National Ocean Policy andguiding the passage of the Ocean Management Act 2025, which establishesenduring governance arrangements, statutory institutions, Marine SpatialPlanning, and mechanisms for sustainable financing. These reforms provide areplicable model for integrated governance and long‑term resource stewardship.
Her regional contributions include seven yearswith the Pacific Community (SPC), where she advanced the GEF‑funded PacificRidge‑to‑Reef Programme, a global test case in integrated approaches to land,freshwater, and ocean governance. Fononga designed communications, knowledgemanagement systems, and donor‑grade monitoring and evaluation products thatincreased regional visibility, facilitated policy dialogue, cooperation andcoordination, and strengthened donor confidence and engagement.
Earlier in her career, Fononga added strategicvalue through her work at ANZ Bank Tonga, where she served as Manager ofMarketing & Communications and Customer Advocate. In this role shestrengthened service delivery systems, improved customer complaints resolution,and embedded accountability and responsiveness into institutional processes.This experience provided her with a strong foundation in customer-centricity,client engagement, and continuous improvement, which she now applies togovernance, resilience and sustainability frameworks in the public sector.
She has represented Tonga and the Pacific athigh‑level international and multilateral fora, ensuring Pacific priorities areconsistently voiced in global policy dialogues.
Fononga brings proven strengths in policy integration,strategic advocacy and engagement, knowledge management, and accountability inservice delivery. Combining statutory authority with cultural legitimacy, hervision is to embed stewardship and covenantal legitimacy into governance,contributing to a Pacific‑wide renewal where nations lead with integrity,foresight, and unity.
Area of Expertise: Ocean Governance, Policy Integration, Strategic Advocacy and Engagement, Knowledge Management, servicedelivery improvement (monitoring, evaluation, research and learning)
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Kalolaine Kavaefiafi is a committed development practitioner from Lapaha, Tonga, with extensive experience in community-based initiatives and environmental stewardship. As a proud Tongan national, she combines deep cultural knowledge with technical expertise, ensuring that projects are both locally grounded and aligned with broader development priorities.
Elias Kanaris is a globally respected leadership strategist, keynote speaker, and executive advisor dedicated to developing values-driven leaders across government, business, faith, and community sectors. With more than 30 years of experience, he has guided organisations through complexity and change, helping senior leaders navigate uncertainty with clarity, cultural intelligence, and moral courage. A former President of the Global Speakers Federation—representing 6,000 leaders in over 20 countries—Elias brings deep international governance experience and a collaborative, Pacific-aligned leadership ethos. He is the CEO of The Insight & Strategy Group and creator of the Presidential Think Tank’s Leadership Compass, a transformational development course that equips leaders with practical tools for influence, resilience, and high-trust decision-making. Elias is also the author of Leading From The Stop and a Certified Maxwell Leadership Coach, known for turning lived experience—including his leadership response during the 9/11 shutdown in Gander—into compelling lessons that inspire action. Elias is honoured to contribute to the Pacific Legacy Leadership Foundation’s mission of strengthening ethical, culturally grounded leadership across the Blue Pacific.
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