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, Hume 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.

 

Dewan Chand Maharaj  
Deputy Chairman

Dewan Chand Maharaj is the founder and Managing Director of Quality Print Ltd., the country's largest commercial printing operation; Mr. Maharaj served for a number of 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. 

 

Mahendra Prasad Sharma  
Director

Mahendra P. Sharma is the founder of Sun Insurance and former Managing Director of Sharma's Insurance Services. With more than fifty years in the business, he is one of the most experienced insurance professionals in the Fiji Insurance Industry. After attaining the highest local management position while with New Zealand Insurance, then called Fiji Insurance, he left the company in 1985 to form his own business which quickly became the largest insurance agency in Fiji. 

 

Deven P Sharma  
Director

BCom , LLB , MD , CA (NZ & Fiji) , CPA (Aust) , FCIS (UK), FRSPH (UK),FCLM (USA), TEP (UK), Dip BLM

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. He is a member of the Fiji Law Society, Auckland District Law Society, Fiji Institute of Accountants, Governance NZ, CPA Australia, CAANZ, NHPNZ. 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 is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors MAICD.

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 Electricity Authority and Director of Transparency International.

Currently he is the Chairman of FHL Unit Trust, Director of the Fiji Development Bank, Director of the 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 Holding Ltd.

His expertise from 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.



 

Aman Lala
Director

Aman Lala has a Bachelor of Business Administration: Bachelor of Commerce (Professional Accounting) from Macquarie University in Sydney. He is currently holding the position of Director at Stonebrae Capital Pty Ltd. He has a vast interest in Information Technology and Risk Management.