DATEC HOSTS INAUGURAL WOMEN LEADERS FORUM

Caption: DATEC CEO Preetam Talukdar

BY LETHISA KOLOKOL

DATEC PNG Limited hosted a first-of-its-kind Women Leaders Forum at the Hilton Hotel in Port Moresby on Thursday 22nd October 2026.

The forum brought together emerging women leaders from sports, business, digital technology, media and culture, putting the spotlight on five exceptional women in their respective fields.

The five women leaders are PNG Chiefs Chief Executive Officer Lorna McPherson, FinCorp Chief Transformation Officer Belinda Manning, Bank South Pacific Financial Group Limited Head of Digital Channels Winifred Kula, Insight Media’s Belinda Aitsi, and Miss Bird of Paradise PNG Iampela Popena.

Datec Chief Executive Officer Preetam Talukdar said the event is the first of its kind, celebrating women in leadership roles while also commemorating Pinktober.

Mr. Talukdar said the forum provided an opportunity for women to share their experiences in leadership, citing the PNG Chiefs CEO as an example.

He challenged other organizations to create similar spaces for women to share and tell their stories.

He said the event was more than a platform for emerging women leaders to inspire other women, emphasizing that it puts a spotlight on the challenges women in Papua New Guinea face.

Mr. Talukdar said he plans to continue the forum for many years to come, and hopes that through this platform, more women will be given the opportunity to inspire others.

The five exceptional women echoed one key message during the forum: “Being a woman in PNG is hard, but being a woman and a leader is harder. As long as you have a dream to inspire another group of women, keep pursuing it until you reach it.”

With the 2027 National General Elections just months away, collaborations like this are crucial to ensuring every voice, especially women leaders, is heard.