Manumatavai Tupou-Roosen
Advisory Board Member
Dr Manu Tupou-Roosen was the first woman Director-General of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA).
She served from November 2018 to November 2024, following her unanimous appointment by Fisheries Ministers. Prior to this, she led the FFA’s legal team for more than a decade. She has researched and worked in fisheries and more broadly for nearly 30 years.
In March 2026, Dr Manu proudly joined the Pasifika Communities University as the Head of School for Ecology and Resilience Development where she is committed to working with colleagues and communities to cultivate ocean literacy and resilience. Prior to this, in 2025, she served as Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Regional Campuses and Global Engagement) at the University of the South Pacific.
She is a member of the Pacific Security College Advisory Board, member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Regenerative Blue Economy and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Pacific Academy of Sciences. She is also a strategic and fisheries consultant.
Dr Manu holds a PhD in Law from the University of Nottingham, completed on a Commonwealth Scholarship, becoming the first Tongan to earn this qualification. In addition, she holds a Master of Laws (First Class Honours) from the University of Canterbury, supported by a New Zealand Government Scholarship, and was the first Tongan woman to attain this degree.