Avei scores a first for women in business

THE former Deputy Secretary for Planning Ulato Avei has been appointed as chairperson for the newly established landowner company, Gas Resources PNG LNG
Plant Limited.
Her appointment to the board of Gas Resources PNG LNG Plant Limited as director and chairperson in the recent board meeting is a first in Mineral Resources Development Company
(MRDC) group’s 42-year history.
The Gas Resources PNG LNG Plant Limited is representing beneficiaries of PNG LNG Projects’ Petroleum Processing Facility Licence 2 (PPFL2) area in Central Province which covers Rearea,
Papa, Porebada and Boera villages.
Avei was first elected by the people of Boera village in the PPFL2 area to represent them during a successful week-long elections carried out by the Electoral Commission and facilitated
by MRDC in March this year.
The landowner of the PNG LNG Plant Processing Facility Licence 2 (PPFL2) area were elected in an unprecedented move, a woman as one of four landowner directors to the board of the new
company, Gas Resources PNG LNG Plant limited.
Avei said she was confident when walking into the boardroom for their first meeting that she would walk out the chairperson.
She even prepared her speech. “I told myself, I know I’m going to win so this is what I am going to say,” she said.
“I am very thankful and proud to be in this position. It will be challenging working in a male-dominated board but I am prepared for it.”
Avei said she has been vocal about landowner issues throughout the PNG LNG Project and so it came as no surprise to her when her people voted her to represent them. She is happy and
thankful that they did.
“I hope my presence at the board level as a female representative can show other landowner groups in the resource project areas that women can be
at this position.
“There is a lot of marginalisation especially through cultural practices in all cultures but this can change.”
She hopes that in time a process is put in place so more landowner women can be involved at the board level and be truly represented.
As a director and chairperson, Avei endeavours to see that benefits go to the PPFL2 landowners.
“I want to see their quality of lives improve for the four villages, for them to have good homes.
“Although we are LNG villages and so close to the city, there’s little development indicators that people are any better. I want the people in the village to save the little they receive to create
wealth for themselves.”
She would like to see the company grow to be a sustainable company like PRK, ensure good investment decisions are made and that the benefits of those investments flow back to the people.
Imbi Tangune, MRDC said this is history in the making for the landowners group in the country.
“This is the first time we (MRDC) have a female voice at the board level, and I congratulated Avei on her election as chairperson of the Gas Resources
PNG LNG Plant Limited.
Managing director Augustine Mano has applauded the successful conduct of the recent election of landowner directors.
The election was the first of its kind in any PNG LNG Project area since the project started. Through the process, four new landowner directors were elected to represent the PPFL2 landowners on the board of their new company Gas Resources PNGLNGPL.
Mano said the election of directors paves the way for all other clan beneficiaries in the PNG LNG Project.
Mano was impressed with the election process and the manner in which it was conducted. The same process will be followed for the upstream areas from Gulf province to the Highlands.
“You did not dispute the ministerial determination, there was no court case.
This shows the maturity and leadership that this country needs in terms of defining benefits. I want to thank the four villages for providing that leadership,”
Mano.”
Mano said it had been a long journey for the PNG LNG Project landowners since the first shipment of gas in 2014.
He described the decisions by the PPFL2 landowners in electing their representatives as commendable saying it’s a step closer to seeing the benefits of the PNG LNG Project.
“I would like to thank the 94 clans of the whole plant site and the 79 clan representatives who voted for the trustee directors.”
The election process was run in compliance with the ministerial determination published in the National Gazette in October 2015.
The Electoral Commission carried out the elections facilitated by MRDC and witnessed by key stakeholders, including the Department of Petroleum and Energy, Exxon Mobil, and Kumul PetroleumHoldings.
The election of directors of Gas Resources PNG LNG Plant Limited is the first of its kind, giving directors a term of four years