WELSI graduates 18 women from its eighth leadership cohort, strengthening skills for executive and board-level roles
Monday 10 August, Honiara – Through its flagship leadership program, the Women in Executive Leadership Solomon Islands (WELSI) continues to build a community of highly competent women who can effectively participate in higher decision-making positions including Chief Executive Officer positions and board positions in organizations in Solomon Islands.
On Friday 7 August 2026, WELSI, its members and stakeholders yet again witnessed the graduation of eighteen (18) aspiring women leaders from the Solomon Islands Senior Executive Women in Leadership Program.
The women, who representing different organizations from the private sector, State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and the public sector, successfully completed the four-day program empowered in fundamental areas critical for effective leadership.
This is the eighth cohort since 2023 and the program continues to be delivered by WELSI as a professional network that supports and connects women in senior leadership and executive roles across the Solomon Islands.
One of the participants from the recent cohort is Ms. Barbara Kyere, an engineer by profession who works a Project Port Engineer at Solomon Ports.
The program has helped Barbara built well-rounded leadership skills as she aims to progress upwards in her professional career.
“It was an eye opener training for me personally,” she said.
“The program has helped us women to see the bigger picture and practical tools we can use in terms of communications, networking and decision making at senior leadership positions and at the board level as well,” Barbara added.
Now she has the confidence to step into leadership roles within her organization and also her community.
“This is because this training has equipped us with the relevant tools that will help us contribute at a senior level and also to make sound financial recommendations and support women in my workplace and community.
“I would recommend other professional women to sign up and join future deliveries of the program. Because this will help them like it has helped me to reflect on myself, the progress that I have made and where’s the direction for me forward into the future,” she said.
Lucy Piko is the Executive Secretary to the Chief Executive Officer of Solomon Power.
“I have learned a lot from the four-day program. It helps us to see where we are now in terms of our career and where we want to be in the future,” Lucy said.
Salome Ganea, a Senior Legal Officer at Our Telekom, is among young aspiring women leaders from cohort 8 of the program.
She believes there is a huge potential for women leadership in different organizations in Solomon Islands and that this training is one of the many tools that can produce more women in leadership.
“This is a very insightful and informative training. And I have gained a lot of knowledge about women leadership in Solomon Islands and I’m very thankful to WELSI for creating such a platform for us professional women in Solomon Islands,” she said.
WELSI President, Ms. Pamela Naesol, is extremely proud and committed to supporting professional women in the executive leadership space and provide them with the right tools and support networks to progress their careers through that pathway and give them a road-map to guide them.
She said that with this program they hope to provide participants with relevant knowledge and skills in key areas that are important as a starting basis to support them in building their overall leadership skills.
“We are looking at effective ways in which we can start developing women and empowering them with the necessary knowledge and leadership competencies so that they can be effective in the areas in which they serve, and one of the first steps is to have a structured training on fundamental areas considered critical for effective leadership in this space,” the WELSI President said.
With this recent cohort, WELSI and the partner organizations look forward to continuing with this program and aim to build a pool of business and professional women with relevant knowledge and skills required to enable them to effectively participate in the decision-making process at higher organizational levels.
-WELSI Media Release
