Dr Salesi is the Director for the Civil Aviation in Tonga.

With almost 20 years of experience in the aviation industry, Dr Salesi dedicated her career to improving the Civil Aviation regulator in Tonga.

As she developed her career, she became the Civil Aviation first female Director for Tonga in 2016 after serving as Acting Director since 2014; and the first PhD holder in the Aviation Management within the Pacific region.

Her PhD was gained through Massey University and focussed on ‘Identifying challenges of aviation growth within the South Pacific Region’.

Dr Salesi’s leadership extends beyond the aviation sector in Tonga as she actively advocates for on-going development for the aviation security standards within the Pacific, as she is the co-Deputy Chair of the Pacific Aviation Safety Office (PASO).