Cabinet has appointed Heseti Sione Vaai to lead the Samoa Life Assurance Corporation, (SLAC) as its new Chief Executive Officer and General Manager for the next three years.
Heseti Sione Vaai was selected out of six others who had applied for SLAC’s top role, vacated since long serving GM Leiataua Alden Godinet resigned in April this year to take on the top Finance role with the Catholic Church.
A public servant for almost 30 years, Vaai holds a Bachelor of Arts Majoring in Accounting & Financial Management with a Minor in Economics, from the University of the South Pacific.
Vaai is also a graduate of the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand with a Diploma in Business.
A Samoa College Old Pupil (SCOPA) and alumni of the National University of Samoa, she began her public service career with the Audit Office in 1991 where she worked for six years before moving to the Samoa Water Authority (SWA).
Heseti Sione Vaai has remained with the SWA for the last 23 years until now.
She started as an Internal Auditor for the Authority and was promoted to Finance Manager in 2001 where she retained the post, renamed to Commercial Manager, until this Cabinet appointment.
At the Authority, Vaai’s responsibilities included the financing of capital projects, and ensuring financial strategies were in place and implemented.
The role was diverse and included the overseeing of all areas of Customer Service which including billing, collections and debt recovery. Vaai was also in charge of Accounts section and the SWA stores.
