New CEOs for Customs and Revenue and the Public Service Commission

APIA, SAMOA – 30 MARCH 2023: Cabinet has appointed Fonoti Talaitupu Li’a-Taefu as the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Customs and Revenue (MCR.

Fonoti started working at the MCR as a Compliance Audit Officer in 2003 and climbed the ladder to become the Deputy CEO in 2016. She has been the Acting CEO since the term of the previous CEO ended last year.

She holds a Master in Public Finance from the National Graduate Institute of Policy Studies, Tokyo, Japan as well as a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the National University of Samoa.

The 41 year old hails from Fogasavaii where she holds the title Fonoti and is married with six (6) children.

Fonoti has been appointed for a contractual term of three (3) years.

New Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the Public Service Commission

Cabinet has appointed the first CEO/Secretary of the Public Service Commission since the position was reinstated in 2022. The position was removed by the then government in 2015.

The new appointment is Kolone Tikeri who was selected from nine candidates who were interviewed for the position.

Tikeri started his career at the Public Service Commission where he worked for four years. He was then appointed as the Principal Officer for Human Resource and Administration of the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development in 2008.

From 2010 to 2018, Tikeri worked for the Samoa Water Authority as the Human Resource Advisor, and later promoted to be the first Manager of the Authority’s Corporate Services.

Tikeri is currently working as an Administrative Specialist for the United Nations Environment Programme at its Pacific Office in Apia.

He graduated with a Master’s Degree in Business Administration in 2021 from the University of Newcastle, Australia. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Management, Economics and Public Administration from the University of the South Pacific.

The 40 year is married with children and hails from the villages of Lalomanu, Aleipata and Vaitoloa.