BIO DATA: DR. ANDRINA KL THOMAS
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VIPA CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Email: [email protected]
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Dr Andrina Komala Lini Thomas was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Vanuatu Investment Promotion Authority (VIPA) in May 2015. Dr Thomas was the first Ni Vanuatu woman to head Vanuatu’s Investment Promotion Authority.
Furthermore, Dr Thomas was the first Ni-Vanuatu woman who graduated with a doctoral degree specializing in management, Pacific leadership, business administration, gender studies and social enterprise, good governance and indigenous traditional Wantok governance systems. She obtained her PhD in 2013 from the University of Waikato, HAMILTON, New Zealand, following the successful completion of an MBA programme with the University of the South Pacific (USP), Suva, Fiji in 2003.
As a matrilineal descent from the Na Vuhu Sule [Stone/Precious Gems] lineage of Matantas Village, Big Bay, Espiritu Santo, she is a strong advocate for Ni-Vanuatu citizens to provide the platform for women to excel in both their rural and urban governance roles and responsibilities. Her cultural platform provides the basis for women’s respect, recognition and acceptance into Vanuatu’s society not only as women with standing in community affairs in Big Bay and Vanuatu’s rural communities but also as women leaders in Vanuatu’s corporate and constitutional governance roles and responsibilities.
Prior to becoming VIPA’s CEO, Dr Thomas assumed managerial and leadership responsibilities in a number of key institutions in both Vanuatu’s public and private sectors.
In her previous job from 2012-2015 as Country Manager for Live & Learn Vanuatu (a foreign-owned non-governmental Institution), Dr Thomas administered the smooth daily operations of this organization, undertook domestic consultancies for Live & Learn Vanuatu and represented her office in a number of important meetings both at national and international forums. She also participated as a climate change and gender negotiator representing the Vanuatu Government in COP19 in Poland and COP21 in France.
During her doctoral studies in 2009/2010, Dr Thomas assumed the role of In-Country Coordinator for Vanuatu for an academic entrepreneurial research under the Global Entrepreneurship Management Institute and New Zealand’s UNITEC’s programme. Dr Thomas spear-headed work with the Vanuatu National Statistics Office, and various enumerators and community-based developments involving the facilitation of workshops and training to ensure that these Ni-Vanuatu enumerators became familiar with the research packages and acquired the necessary feedback from the administered surveys.
Before assuming doctoral studies, Dr Thomas served as the Manager of Contributor Services’ Division in the Vanuatu National Provident Fund from 2004-2008 whereby she supervised over ten full-time staff members and provided advice to VNPF’s management in decision and policy making.
In her capacity as CEO of VIPA, Dr Thomas has been actively engaged in the design and execution of a number of other development portfolios acting as: (i) Co-Chair of the Vanuatu Slow Food Vanuatu Network (2014-2016); (ii) Core Team Member of the Vanuatu National Sustainable Development Plan in the Prime Minister’s Office, (2014-2016); (iii) Chairlady of the Big Bay Organizing Committee (2015-2016); (iv) Member of the Stop Violence & Brutal Killing Organizing Committee (2016); (v) Member of the Women’s Executive Network (2016) and used to be a member of the (vi) Vanuatu Country Coordinating Mechanism (2014-2015).
While Dr Thomas continues to remain VIPA’s focal point dealing with foreign direct investment into Vanuatu, she is ardently vocal about improving gender parity and gender equality issues in Vanuatu. She was a strong supporter for a 100% emphasis on stopping “violence against women and brutal killing in Vanuatu” and has been actively engaged in national and international forums campaigning against these adversities.