OUR TEAM
Board
Sir Paul Kurai, GCL, MBE, ML, MCS, CRL, Founder and Chairman
Sir Paul Kurai is the Managing Director of Neno Group, a private group of company in the construction, real estate, hotel and restaurant industries. He is a philanthropist and also a Local Local Level Government Ward Councilor, Kaiap Ward, Wabag LLG, Enga Province. He has been serving for more than eight terms (40 years) now. He is on the board of Enga Provincial Health Authority, Sports PNG Board and a member of the Governing Council, Enga School of Excellence. He is a strong advocator of peace and good order in Enga Province and the upper highlands region. he has been doing that for the last thirty years.
Dr Benedict Thomas Yaru,
Deputy Chairman
Dr Yaru has well over 15 years’ experience as alternate and full board membership roles and over 30 years in executive and senior management levels, and he’s well-travelled and network. He is currently the Managing Director of KMK Ltd, Chairman of Kumul Petroleum Holdings, Director of PNG Petroleum Holdings Ltd, Chairman of PNG Schools Rugby. Past Managing Director of Niugini Environmental Consultants. He also provides Board oversight, as Chairman of the Kumul Petroleum Foundation. He is a current Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Ruth Kissam Tindiwi Board Member
Ruth is the Director of Special Projects for PNG Tribal Foundation, as a community organizer and a human rights activist who has focused on Sorcery Accusation Related Violence (SRV) in Papua New Guinea. She was awarded the Westpac Outstanding Woman (WOW) Award in Papua New Guinea in 2018 in recognition of her work in SARV. She is the recipient of many fellowships but notably the Obama Foundation Scholars Program and was attached with Columbia University in the US. She is on the board of many institutions at both provincial and national level.
Bishop Justin Ain, Board Member
Bishop Justin Ain is the Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Wabag, Enga Province. He is also a board member to the Good Shepherd Seminary, Holy Trinity Teachers College, Enga Provincial Health Authority and Caritas PNG, the Justice Peace and Development agency of the Catholic Bishops Conference of PNG and Solomon Islands.
Dr Londari Yamarak, Board Member
Dr Londari is an academic and a researcher in applied & development economics. He has been teaching economics subjects in PNG Universities for almost 12 years. He is the Head of Economics Section at the PNG University of Technology, President of the National Academic Staff Association and committee member to about 3 university committees. He has a PhD in Economics from Charles Sturt University. He just completed a 2 years US Government Scholarship. He is also an Australian and New Zealand Alumni through his PhD and Masters programs respectively. He is an independent research consultant to FAO-United Nations based in Rome, and UNFPA National Economist (2023 National Census).
Dr Pauline Wiessner, Board Member
Pauline is an American anthropologist who focused on cultural Anthropology. She is currently a professor at University of Utah. Wiessner has held various professor positions at Universities in the United States, Denmark, and France and various positions in universities and communities across the world.
Frank Rapa,
Board Member
Frank is the Acting Lands Officer – Acquisition, Enga Provincial Administration, and also a Director to the Enga Children Trust Ltd since 2008. He also served as the Lord Mayor for the Township of Wabag, Enga Province. He also is an active community leader in his community and the Apostolic Church, in Enga province.
Ghandi Katao,
CEO, (Interim)
Ghandi is a financial sector development consultant with AFC Agriculture and Finance Consultants, part of Gopa Consulting firm based in Bon, Germany. Prior to this he was the Innovation Hub Manager, Westpac Pacific and UNCDF joint project. He worked as an Institutional Development Specialist, with BPNG-ADB Microfinance Expansion Project, a GoPNG project under Central Bank of Papua New Guinea. He was also a Market Research & Product Innovation specialist with Microsave Consulting firm. An international consulting firm in the financial inclusion space based in Mumbai, India.
Akoman Yongan
Board Member
Akoman is the Chairman of Law-and-Order Task Force in Enga Province, local councilor and a small business owner. He has wide experience in community leadership, conflict dispute resolution and a mediation expert. He also volunteers on dispute resolutions between tribes, communities and families in Enga Province. He is known across the province for his oratory skills and decisions in settling major tribal disputes in the province.