Tupou’tuah Baravilala is a highly accomplished digital transformation specialist, passionately committed to digital equity, cybersecurity, online safety and creating a more inclusive society.
As the Director-General for Digital Government Transformation, Cybersecurity and Communications, Ms. Baravilala has extensive experience in helping bridge the digital divide in society through an ambitious effort to digitalise key government operations and services, in addition to progressively expanding meaningful connectivity to remote communities and strengthening cybersecurity legal frameworks.
With over 12 years of experience in the civil service, Ms Baravilala has successfully deployed nation-wide connectivity, digital transformation, and cybersecurity programmes across different government agencies. She spearheaded the development of the digitalFIJI platform –– a secure single sign-in portal granting access to an expanding range of e-government services. She oversaw the roll-out of digital tools to aid Fiji’s COVID-19 containment and recovery strategy. Ms Baravilala led the creation of Fiji’s inaugural 2025-2030 National Digital Strategy. Notably, in June 2024, Ms Baravilala personally deposited Fiji’s accession documents to the Budapest Convention with the Council of Europe. Ms. Baravilala is keenly interested in exploring the nexus between ICT, cyber policy, law and international relations.
Internationally recognised, Ms Baravilala represents the Government as an expert and lead negotiator on cyber matters at prominent global bodies, including the United Nations, International Telecommunications Union, Council of Europe, and Asia-Pacific Telecommunity. She has served as Chair’s representative when Fiji chaired the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation from 2018 to 2023. She is the Chair of the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity Policy and Regulatory Forum for the Pacific. She has also served as the Acting Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Communications.
Ms. Baravilala is Board Director of the Telecommunications Authority of Fiji. She has also served as a company director on several boards in the infrastructure and telecommunications sectors. Ms Baravilala is an advisor to the Women in Tech Fiji Chapter. In 2023, Ms Baravilala was awarded the inaugural Women in Tech -- Tech Policy Advocate Award. In 2019, Ms. Baravilala was awarded the Women in Business Public Manager of the Year and was also one of Fiji’s “30 under 30” honorees. She graduated with a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of the South Pacific and a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice.