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In this episode, we speak to Veilawa Rereiwasaliwa, General Manager Fiji and Acting Head of Pacific Digital Transformation at Tower Insurance about business innovation and protection during times of crisis. Tower is one of our most recent partners in the Pacific and it’s great to hear their advice for SMEs on how they can access insurance services to help protect their businesses during a crisis.

In our latest episode, we talk with John Byrne, Ensie George and Jenna Rekon from the Lae Chamber of Commerce about business innovation for small women-led businesses in Lae. The team explain how they are working with female-owned and operated businesses, some of the challenges they face in Papua New Guinea and why a partnership with Business Link Pacific is important in promoting the work they do for gender equality and social inclusion.

Stanard Wai SME Manager, Retail Banking and Daniel Faunt, Group General Manager of Bank of South Pacific Ltd talk to our hosts about best practices for SMEs who are looking to apply for finance and what SMEs should consider when starting up or transforming a business.

In this episode, we talk to EGM Business, Wealth & Advisory Services of Kina Bank, Deepak Gupta about how access to finance can lead to greater innovation for SMEs in PNG and throughout the Pacific.  Deepak also tells us about digital transormation within Kina Bank and how they have made accessing their services easier for SMEs.

Desperate times call for desperate measures - something that has certainly been obvious during  Covid-19 lockdowns, where a range of PNG companies have been reinventing themselves quickly in order to keep operating.  While it's true that some new businesses have risen like a phoenix from the ashes to capitalise on new opportunities and some existing businesses completely changed their business models, there is a lesson that all businesses can take away from this period of forced innovation.  Reinventing can be used to describe a wholesale change of direction to a business but it can also be applied across a business unit, a process or other aspects of a business that makes sense right now. In Episode 7 of Series 5 of the #BLPpodcast, we talk to MiBank CEO, Tony Westaway about reinventing during a crisis and how MiBank is supporting MSMEs throughout Papua New Guinea. 

In this episode, our hosts, Barbara Wilkinson & Richard Busby, talk to Yumiwork Founder, Marc Gerard about business innovation and how we can design an ecosystem to help local businesses, entrepreneurs and startups discover new ideas!

John Pora, Chairman of the PNG Small to Medium Enterprise Corporation (SMEC), talks to the BLP team about the future of business in PNG and how technology is powering that future.    The role of SMEC. How does SMEC support new business ideas? PNG's sector bodies and why they are essential for economic growth.  Critical points to develop new business ideas.  Synergies between SMEC and Business Link Pacific. SMEC's incubator model for SMEs in PNG.

Saliya Ranasinghe, CEO of Centre for Excellence & Financial Inclusion (CEFI) in PNG and new BLP partner in financial inclusion talks to our hosts about affordable finance, how to access it and why CEFI is focused on financial inclusion and the elimination of poverty in Papua New Guinea.

Launching a business isn’t for the faint-hearted. Many hours of sweat and tears go into getting a business idea off the ground. Some entrepreneurs choose to go at it alone but not everyone has the combination of skills, resources and networks to take their business to the next level. That is where business-growth organisations like incubators can add significant value. In this episode or series five of the BLP podcast, we talk with Marc-Antoine about V-Lab, Vanuatu's first business and ideas incubator. Marc-Antoine tells us how V-Lab works, what they are doing to support SMEs and why BLP partners with them.

When it comes to future-proofing your people and business, upskilling is the way to go. In this episode, we talk to Eve Hayden, CEO at the Cook Islands Chamber of Commerce about upskilling; what it is, how you can upskill yourself and your people, what tools there are available, and why training should be included in your businesses continuity plan.

Air Rarotonga was severely impacted when the Covid-19 crisis began in March 2020 with flights grounded and tourism at a standstill. With a goal to keep staff on the books (at reduced hours) and the business afloat, Anand Raj, CFO for Air Rarotonga began the process of diversifying the business through an innovative business strategy. In this podcast, we talk to Anand about Air Rarotonga's journey over the past year and why it is important to diversify product offerings in order to maintain a strong business model.

In this final episode, of season four, we talk to Kara Klassen, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Advisor for BLP on why gender equality and social inclusion is important for business. Kara explores ways in which SMEs in the Pacific Islands can create opportunities for female leaders as well as the impact of COVID-19 on women and other vulnerable groups. Credits: Hosted by: Barbara Wilkinson Recorded, mixed & edited by The Sudio Music credit: Alex Khaskin via SoundVault