PRIF Coordination Office
The PRIF Coordination Office is hosted by the Asian Development Bank’s Pacific Sub-regional Office based in Suva, Fiji. The key role of the Coordination Office is to manage PRIF’s work program, including the facilitation of PRIF partner coordination activities, and to oversee and manage PRIF’s TA program.
Robert is an expert on infrastructure investment for social and economic development. He holds degrees in civil engineering, public administration, urban and regional planning, and international development and began his career as an engineer in the United States prior to working extensively for bilateral and multilateral agencies in international development. He has advised governments, the private sector, and multilateral institutions in over two dozen countries in Asia, the Pacific, and Latin America.
Prior to joining PRIF, Robert was with the Asian Development Bank since 2003 where he served as Chief Sector Officer; Director for Transport for East Asia; Director for Transport, Energy, and Natural Resources for the Pacific; and Transport Specialist for the Pacific. He spent four years as the Economic Infrastructure Adviser at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Fiji and served two years as a volunteer in the Solomon Islands.
Lorena is a senior infrastructure specialist with over 20 years of experience delivering investments and technical assistance projects that drive economic growth and development. She has led more than 70 projects across the Pacific, strengthening essential services such as energy, telecommunications, transport, and water. She has work experience with DFAT, PRIF, and the World Bank, Lorena is deeply committed to collaborating with Pacific governments to turn visionary ideas into impactful, lasting change.
Jane has over 20 years’ research and practical experience in project management in areas, such as sustainable transport solution to climate change, transport policy and planning and climate financing and renewable energy. As a practitioner, Jane has also held structural and transport engineering positions designing and supervising construction work. As an international consultant she has extensive experience working with various donors and government throughout Asia and Africa and the Pacific in the area of sustainable transport, climate financing and renewable energy.
Caroline has over 25 years' experience in international development cooperation, aid management and development effectiveness. As a development practitioner, Caroline held advisory positions with the Pacific Community (SPC) developing country programmes for SPC and its Pacific member countries. Prior to joining SPC, Caroline’s experience included public sector management and advising Tonga’s Finance Minister on the implementation of the public sector reform programme. She was also the Government of Tonga’s Director of Planning responsible for aid coordination and national development planning.
Litia is an accountant by profession and brings over a decade of experience in financial operations, procurement, reporting and project management in the energy business and the TVET sector. With extensive knowledge of DFAT-funded program reporting requirements she is passionate about development aid in the Pacific. She Litia is dedicated to advancing effective and efficient financing solutions for climate- and disaster-resilient development. Litia holds a postgraduate degree in accounting and economics.
Jim is an economic practitioner with almost 30 years of postgraduate experience. A major focus of his work is developing business cases for infrastructure projects including service need and demand assessments, economic assessments, and financial assessments. In recent years Jim has also been focusing on integrating climate risks and adaptation into infrastructure decision-making and investment across water, urban development, transport, waste management and energy infrastructure projects and portfolios.
From 2006 to 2024, Jim was an economic consultant and had undertaken over 300 consulting assignments including in Tuvalu, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, China, Vietnam, Myanmar, and for multinational organizations. Before commencing his consulting career in 2006, Jim was the Director of Economics for the Department of Natural Resources in Queensland Australia.
He is passionate about ensuring that resources available for infrastructure are channeled into projects that make a material difference in the lives of communities and underpin economic development.
Seta Menu joined PRIF after serving at the Pacific Community (SPC). He brings over 12 years of experience in social research and in monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL). Seta has worked with international non-governmental organizations across Papua New Guinea and the Pacific region on diverse programs, including a USAID-funded biodiversity conservation initiative, health system strengthening, gender and economic empowerment, social impact assessments, education system support, and training and capacity building.
Meapelo has over 20 years of experience as an environmental planner, working with multiple Pacific island countries and development partners to support and promote environmental and social sustainability in planning for resilient infrastructure across the Pacific. He is passionate about building regional and national capacities of institutions and local communities to apply best practices in environmental and social safeguards to achieve the best outcome for the environment and people.