Board of Directors

Padam Raj Lala 
Chairman

Padam Raj Lala is the Managing Director and founder of Lotus Garments Ltd. Mr. Lala has served as the Chairman of R. B. Patel Group of Companies, Merchant Finance, Humes Industries, Standard Concrete Industries and Land Transport Authority. He was also the Deputy Mayor of Suva City Council and Deputy Chairman of the Fiji Development Bank. Mr. Lala served as a Board member of the Fiji Trade & Investment Board and as the Chairman of the Textile Clothing and Footwear Council of Fiji and also the President of Fiji Manufacturers Association. He was Chairman of Fiji TV and the President of the Rotary Club of Suva.
 
Mr. Lala has vast experience in clothing manufacturing, retail and wholesale trade. He is a very successful real estate investor and developer. His multifarious activities with business community in Fiji is well recognised, together with his political, cultural, educational and community involvements.
 
He is a qualified Professional Accountant from the London School of Accountancy.
 

Diwan Chand Maharaj  
Deputy Chairman

Diwan Chand Maharaj is the founder and Managing Director of Quality Print Ltd., one of the country's largest commercial printing operations. Mr. Maharaj served for several years as Director of the Fiji Development Bank. He is also founder and Managing Director of Dewan Holdings. As a member of a numerous business organisations, including the Fiji Institute of Directors and New Zealand Institute of Directors, as well as the Fiji Institute of Management, Mr. Maharaj also finds time to work as a board member for several NGO's and civic organisations, Founder and Chairman of Kidney Foundation of Fiji.

 

Deven P Sharma  
Director

BCom, LLB, MD (Non Clinical), METM, CA (NZ & Fiji) , FCPA (Aust) , FCIS (UK), FRSPH (UK), TEP (UK), Dip IBLM, CHIA, CAANZ Forensic Accounting - Specialist (NZ), FASLM - Fellow Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine, AIHM – Fellow of the Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine (USA)
 



Barrister & Solicitor (Fiji)
Commissioner of Oaths (Fiji)
Notary Public (Fiji).
Roll of Overseas Counsel (The Victorian Bar)

A founding Director of Sun Insurance in 1999, Deven has over the years also assumed the roles of Chief Agent, Alternate Director of Sun Insurance before being reappointed as a director in 2018. He has wide ranging experience in financial services, business advisory& planning and estates and taxation law in Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji and at present is the principal of The Law Office of Deven P Sharma in Fiji which also has a representative office in New Zealand.
 
Furthermore, he holds the position of CEO of The Ellerslie Clinic - Specialist Psychiatrists, Psychologist, Lifestyle Medicine and Mental Health Practitioners in Auckland, New Zealand
 
He is a member of the Fiji Law Society, Auckland District Law Society, Law Society of New South Wales, Fiji Institute of Accountants, Governance NZ, STEP Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (UK), CPA Australia, CAANZ (Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand), CAANZ Forensic Accounting - Specialist (NZ), NHPNZ (Natural Health Practitioners of New Zealand). Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine (AIHM) USA and Fellow Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine
(FASLM). Deven also has an interest in medicine and in addition to his MD degree is a registered Natural Medicine Practitioner with NHPNZ in New Zealand and a Diplomate of the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine.

Inia R Naiyaga
Director

Inia Naiyaga was appointed as the Director in April 2018. Subsequently, Mr. Naiyaga was appointed as the Managing Director from June 2018 till December 2021. He now returns to the role of Directorship effective from 1st January 2022.
 
Mr Naiyaga is a Chartered Accountant CA, Life member of the Fiji Institute of Accountants, Fellow of the Fiji Institute of Bankers FFIB (Hon) and was a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors FAICD. He was a career Central Banker for 40 years. He retired as the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of Fiji in May 2014. Prior to his retirement he also served as the Deputy Governor of the National Reserve Bank of Tonga for 5 years. He has served as the Chairman of the Insurance Council of Fiji, Director of Fiji Development, Director of Fiji Electricity Authority and Director of Transparency International – Fiji Chapter.
 
Currently he is the Chairman of FHL Unit Trust, Director of National Fire Authority, member of the University of the South Pacific Finance and Resources Committee, Board Member of the Christian Mission Fellowship International and Chairman of his Village Company Namuka Nakelo Holdings Ltd.
 
His expertise in the regulated Financial Services Sector is a great asset to the SUN Team.

Gardiner H Whiteside
Director

Gardiner Whiteside has operated his own Chartered Accountancy Firm since 1996. He is a Chartered Accountant by Profession and has been providing Accounting & Auditing Services to many clients in Fiji. He currently serves as a Director at Energy Fiji Ltd and Paradise Beverages Fiji Limited.


Mr. Whiteside has over 45 years of Accountancy experience.


 

Rajeshwar Lala
Director

Rajeshwar Lala , founder and CEO of Stonebrae Capital, headquartered in Sydney, Australia, brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the Board of SUN Insurance.


He holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from Macquarie University, Sydney and boasts over four decades of diverse business acumen spanning management accounting, property development, finance, and corporate law.

Mr. Lala's early immersion in business has endowed him with invaluable insights across various sectors including insurance, real estate development, facility management, manufacturing, international trade, retailing, warehousing, and logistics.

He holds a founding shareholder position at SUN Insurance and has served as an Alternate Director to the current Chair of the Company in the past.

As a shareholder of SUN Insurance, Mr Lala has developed a close attachment to the company, gaining intricate insights into its inner workings.

His deep understanding of business dynamics and unwavering commitment to excellence makes him an invaluable asset in the field of finance and entrepreneurship. 
 

Nitish (Bob) Niranjan
Director

Mr. Nitish (Bob) Niranjan is the Chairman and Managing Director of the Niranjan Group of Companies, with nearly 40 years of senior executive experience in the Transportation sector across Fiji and in Australia. Mr. Niranjan has been an active member of the Fiji Motor Traders Association (FMTA), serving as its President on four occasions. He has significantly contributed to the automotive industry’s advancement through innovations such as introducing premium motoring ventures and automotive leasing.

He is also Managing Director/CEO of VB Holdings Ltd since being appointed over 20 years ago. It was under his leadership that VB Holdings Ltd, a property and fleet management company, listed on the South Pacific Stock Exchange.

Educated at Waikato University, New Zealand, with a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree, majoring in Political Science, Mr Niranjan has a solid background in business and economics.

He holds a fellowship with the Australian Marketing Institute (AMI) since 1993 and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AIDC).

Since 2010, Mr Niranjan has been a founding member of the Reserve Bank of Fiji’s Capital Market Advisory & Development Taskforce and chairs the RBF Capital Markets - Investor Compensation Appeals Committee (ICAC).

He is a member of the Rotary Club of Suva and also represents Rotary International for Humanitarian Assistance, reflecting his commitment to community service.

With extensive experience in both private and publicly listed companies, Mr Niranjan excels in dealing with various stakeholders, contributing significantly to the Transport and Humanitarian Assistance sectors.