Steamships has announced the appointment of Mr Vele Rupa as General Manager Corporate Affairs replacing Mr David Toua who moves on to be Chairman of the Central Bank of PNG and Principle Private Sector Advisor for Abt Associates.

Mr Rupa joins Steamships from Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC) where he was seconded to the State Negotiating Team working on resource projects like Papua LNG, P’nyang, Porgera, Pasca A and more recently Wafi-Golpu. Vele brings to Steamships a deep understanding of the resource industry having worked with both the Department of Treasury and ExxonMobil in the past. The addition of Mr Rupa to the Steamships Executive Management Group at a time when there are high expectations for resource-driven growth is timely. He leads Steamships corporate communications, community engagement, corporate development and sustainability teams and provides a central link between significant private sector business and the State and with the broader business community.  Mr Rupa was educated at the Port Moresby National High School before going on to earn a double degree in Political Science & Public Policy Management from the University of Papua New Guinea. 

As Steamships welcomes Mr Rupa, it also acknowledges the decade-long contribution of Mr David Toua.  Mr Toua has been an excellent ambassador for Steamships, and as Chairman of the APEC Advisory Committee for Papua New Guinea.  David’s deep commitment to Steamships and to the development of the company and of the general business community is widely acknowledged and his recent appointment as an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) is a fitting recognition of that work.  We wish him continued success in his future endeavours and his legacy will continue for many years within Steamships as he provides inspiration for our future leaders.

Steamships’ time in Papua New Guinea has seen it evolve into seven distinct businesses that span three industries: property, hospitality, and logistics. The can-do spirit that has made Steamships a PNG leader is imbued in everything we do. Our success has been built on creating sustainable shareholder value through long-term investment, development, diversification, operational excellence, and good governance. At Steamships we believe that every day brings the potential to do things better than yesterday. We don’t just do business in Papua New Guinea, it’s our home.