The first Chief Executive Officers of the newly established Ministry of Lands and Survey and the Ministry of Sports and Recreation were announced on Wednesday.

Ulugia Petelo Kavesi is the first Chief Executive Officer to take charge of the Ministry of Lands and Survey while Luatua Semiperive Epati heads the Ministry of Sports and Recreation.

Their appointment was sealed by Cabinet endorsement on Tuesday afternoon.  

Ulugia’s public service career includes eight years as General Manager and CEO of the Samoa Lands Corporation.

Ulugia holds two Masters degrees from the University of the South Pacific.

He graduated with a Masters of Business Administration, (MBA) in 2007 to complement his first Masters of Arts in Development Studies in 1997.

Ulugia started his 28-year career as a Research Assistant with the USP Alafua Campus.

He then served as the Manager Research and Statistics with the Samoa Tourism Authority, and as the Administration Manager with the Accident Compensation Board and was the SLC General Manager since 2016.

Luatua is a seasonal sports administrator. He was the Assistant CEO of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture.

He holds a Bachelor in Physical Education and Sports from the Jiwaji University in Gwalior India.