Paradise Beverages has launched a new leadership speaker series to underline its on-going commitment to nurturing a culture of authentic and inclusive leadership.

The series is part of the company’s new ‘Pay it Forward’ mentoring programme.

It was launched in May this year.

The company says it will help deliver Paradise Beverage’s mission which is to be recognised as the premier place to work, creating world-class beverages and contributing positively to the business and the markets in which we operate.

Paradise Beverages general manager Mike Spencer said: “Part of our mission is to make Paradise Beverages the premier place to work and by offering these world-class programmes to our staff.

“We hope to go a long way towards realising our people development strategy.”

The series will comprise several informal panel events featuring guest speakers with diverse perspectives.

The first session took place last week and featured a panel of well-seasoned leaders.

The panel included general manager of Asaleo Care, Eldon Eastgate, chief executive officer of Fiji TV Karen Lobendhan and Founder of Leadership Fiji Sufi Dean.

The trio discussed the fundamentals of being a good leader and touched on personal branding, work-life balance and choosing career paths.

The event was well-received by the 35 Paradise Beverages employees who attended.

Paradise Beverages general manager human resources and sustainability Banuve Yalimaiwai said: “Paradise Beverages recognises that improved productivity is the outcome of the quality of relationships in the workplace.

“Those relationships are shaped in part by the capacity of the workplace leader or manager to maintain and deepen the quality of the connections between people.”

There were many interesting and inspiring contributions from the panel.

Ms Lobendhan said: “I find that people relate more to personal experiences since its more real.

“It’s a continuous learning experience.”

Mr Eastgate added: “Be authentic and be consistent in everything that you do and your career will progress.

“A key component of authenticity is integrity. We must do what we say!”

Ms Dean talked about the virtue of a growth mindset.

“Always have the courage to accept that you don’t know everything and

continuously attempt to learn more,” she said.

Creating authentic leaders is an integral part of making Paradise Beverages the premier place to work and the new speaker series is designed to benefit both the business and its leaders, the company says.

Several events are being designed to run over the next couple of months.

It will cover several leadership themes designed to inspire, develop and empower the company’s people to grow, maximise their performance and reach their potential.

The panel was moderated by Paradise Beverages human resources business partner Max Wahid who added that the company hoped the benefits would also

transfer to the wider community.

“We are uplifting capabilities of our leaders here in Fiji who will prosper and give back to our economy,” Mr Wahid said.

Feedback:  maraia.vula@fijisun.com.fj