At 35, Priya Singh is the first woman CEO of Ba Town Council and one of the youngest to lead such a municipality.
Her appointment in July 2020 marked a further addition to the new wave of women leadership taking the helm of local government.
“It is my greatest opportunity to serve the town where I was born and bred and it gives me pleasure in the job I do in helping to build better towns in Fiji,” she said.
“I must say being the first female CEO of Ba Town Council came with its own challenges.
“However, I have managed to come so far by identifying and developing the policy and processes needed for improvements and amendments. We need to make the municipal councils a more people friendly, consultative, and more transparent law-making body. Meeting with various stakeholders and engaging with the communities will help the council build more resilient policies.”
As more women CEOs and special administrators lead local town and city councils, Ms Singh hopes that such progress keeps its momentum.
“It’s great to see that we now have more women leaders compared to 10 years back. Women leaders have made it to Parliament, however it would be good to see an increase in the number working towards enhancing our nation and for this both our women and men need to support the women leaders.
“I have a great team at the council and every day I look forward to working with them in order to bring quality changes in the township of Ba. I believe in leading by example which is the biggest encouragement I give to my team.”
As the world marks International Women’s Day, Ms Singh looks forward to seeing more women in the municipal leadership role.
“Be open to different perceptions and behaviours as this is what makes your leadership stand out. Do not let gender limit your leadership quality.”
Ms Singh is a chartered accountant with the Fiji Institute of Accountants and a member of CPA Australia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Her academic credentials include a Diploma in Business Accounting, Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Accounting and Finance, Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting and an Executive MBA that she is presently pursuing from the Fiji National University.
