Merewalesi Nailatikau

Merewalesi Nailatikau holds masters’ degrees in both Public Policy and Development Studies. With over 15 years of experience in the Pacific region, she has contributed to research, policy analysis, public diplomacy, and strategic communication across various sectors including governance, civil society, donor agencies, and education.

Mere founded Bellatrix Consulting, specialising in storytelling and creative collaborations with indigenous Pacific artists. Her writing has been featured in publications such as the Commonwealth Writers Blog, Climate Tracker, Islands Business, DevPolicy, and the Lowy Interpreter. Additionally, she co-produces Oceanic Refractions, an immersive sound art installation centering indigenous perspectives on kinship, care, and self-determination amidst the climate crisis.

‘Ofa Guttenbeil-Likiliki

‘Ofa Guttenbeil-Likiliki leads with instinct, strategy and just the right amount of disruption. Whether through film, research, or legal advocacy, she moves with the tides -– adapting, shifting and always pushing forward. She doesn’t just talk about change; she architects it one bold step at a time.

She co-founded Tonga’s Women & Children Crisis Centre (WCCC), one of the country’s leading human rights NGOs, not as a lifeboat but as a tidal wave, pushing against the structures that keep women and children unsafe. Her research, rooted in Pacific methodologies doesn’t sit on dusty shelves – it moves, breathes, and challenges power.

She knows that justice isn’t given – it’s claimed. That leadership isn’t about titles – it’s about action. And that waiting for a seat at the table is a waste of time when you can build an entire movement instead.

She’s not here to fit in. She’s here to transform.

Michelle Reddy

Michelle Reddy is a Fiji based lesbian feminist who has been part of the women’s movement in the Pacific for over two decades. Michelle led the establishment of the Women’s Fund Fiji and the Pacific Feminist Fund (PFF). Currently, she is a Co Lead at PFF working in the area of resource mobilisation and strategic partnerships. Michelle serves as a Board member on Thousand Current, an advisory member on the Equality Fund’s Catalyse Program and Human Rights Funders Network’s Global Racial Justice Advisory Council.

Virisila Buadromo

Virisila Buadromo is a Pacific feminist, connector, resource mobiliser and co lead of Urgent Action Fund Asia and the Pacific. Virisila lives in Suva – with blood ties to Mavana, Vanuabalavu and Ono I Lau, located on the eastern part of Fiji.

Nikki Bartlett

Nikki Bartlett is an evaluation specialist with 13 years’ experience across the Asia-Pacific region, helping organisations design, measure, and improve their social impact initiatives. She has worked across youth empowerment, education, women’s rights and social inclusion, inclusive governance, health, and natural resource management, working with government agencies, NGOs, and international organisations. She specialises in developing accessible frameworks that strengthen evidence-based decision-making and learning. With a focus on gender equality, disability equity, and social inclusion,

Nikki brings systems thinking approaches to evaluate programs at community, national, and regional levels whilst ensuring the voices of those these initiatives aim to serve are elevated and centred.

Niketa Kulkarni

Niketa Kulkarni is an experienced international development professional with significant leadership and technical depth in inclusive research strategies and approaches. She has worked with diverse DFAT-funded aid programs to support the development and acceptance of locally led evidence to achieve sustainable, equitable and inclusive impact. Niketa engaged with PWL’s baseline efforts while she was a Lead Principal at Clear Horizon Consulting. She is currently taking a break from work, though plans to return soon to this space as an independent consultant.