A woman has been appointed to the helm of the country's peak private sector body, the Samoa Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Lita Lui has been appointed to take up the Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O) position at the Chamber following the resignation of Lemauga Hobart Va'ai earlier this year. 

The Samoa Chamber of Commerce and Industry Incorporated is Samoa’s national private sector organisation and is an incorporated association of businesses and private sector organisations.

The new C.E.O. was first introduced to the Chamber's members during their annual general meeting convened last Monday 6 March 2023. 

According to a written statement, Ms. Lui is a former assistant chief executive officer for the Aid Coordination and Debt Management Division with the Ministry of Finance and has served the Samoa Government for over 19 years. 

"With her high calibre and vast experience in the public service, Lita’s appointment will further look to foster the Public-Private Partnership," the statement reads. 

"She has also been running her business over the last few years and is part of the private sector and currently undertaking her Master’s online on a part-time basis."

The Chamber then expressed its gratitude to the former C.E.O. Lemauga for his service and leadership over the last 12 years and wished him well on his new journey. 

Ms. Lui has over 20 years of experience in the public sector, specifically in the management of development cooperation (aid) including debt. 

The Chamber was originally formed in the early 1900s by merchants of Apia. The organisation was revitalised and took its present form in the 1970s and by December 2021 had grown to 468 members representing different sectors of Samoa’s business community.

Its role as Samoa’s national private sector organisation is in partnership with four private sector organisations, which are also members of the Chamber. They are Women in Business Development Inc. (WIBDI), Businesses of Salafai Association (BoSA), Samoa Association of Manufacturers and Exporters (SAME) and Samoa Hotel and Hospitality Association (SHHA).