Ben Tokataake

Ben Tokataake frequently uses the skills learned from his Master of Business and Management (MBM) degree in his job as an advisor for Asia-Pacific at the World Bank in Washington DC.

“I find that the skills of problem solving, strategic management, managerial accounting and critical thinking that I learned at Waikato Management School are really useful here,” he says.

Like all good success stories, it took a great deal of perseverance and sacrifice for Ben to receive a university education, which ultimately paved his way to the World Bank.

During his final year of high school in Kiribati, Ben succumbed to peer pressure and left school without completing.

“I was good in school but was influenced by others, followed the crowd and got discouraged and left,” he explains.

He began working in a variety of roles for the Kiribati government, married his high school sweetheart, and started a family.

Ironically, it was also peer pressure that caused Ben to restart his education a decade later. “I realised that my school peers returned home with degrees and had good jobs, and I became jealous and unhappy about my situation.”

Ben’s work ethic and ability was recognised by his employers, who encouraged him to take some courses at the University of South Pacific (USP) in Fiji. In 2008, he successfully completed a bachelor’s degree in economics, public administration and management in 2008.

“My wife was a big part of my success, she was very encouraging and supportive.”

I see Waikato alumni working around the world in large, respectable companies and that’s really gratifying and encouraging, because I feel that I went to a world-class university.

By 2013, Ben was working in Kiribati as a senior development planner at the Ministry of Communications, Transport and Tourism Development.

He decided to further his education with a Master of Business and Management (MBM) degree at the University of Waikato in New Zealand, after securing a government scholarship.

“I am very grateful for my time at Waikato and the knowledge and the skills that I acquired during my time there,” he says. “I see Waikato alumni working around the world in large, respectable companies and that’s really gratifying and encouraging because I feel that I went to a world-class university.”

He appreciates the staff who guided him through his master’s degree. “They were very hard-working and memorable; Professor Ron McDowell, Associate Professor Peter Sun, Professor Jens Mueller, and Professor Anna Strutt are four lecturers who come to mind.”

Ben Tokataake, Secretary of Finance and Economic Development, in 2019.

On returning home to Kiribati in 2014, Ben received several promotions and in 2018 he was appointed as Secretary for Finance & Economic Development.

In 2020, he successfully applied to become an Advisor for the Asia-Pacific region at the World Bank in Washington DC, on a two-year contract until 2023. “I am now with my family, and we are so pleased,” he says.

Ben’s role is to provide economic advice and support services for Kiribati, Samoa, the Marshall Islands, and countries from the Middle East and North Africa.

“My main responsibility is to assist in the analysis of projects proposed by those countries. When a project comes up, I review it and present my recommendations to our Executive Director as to whether to object, abstain or support those proposals,” he says.

“I have to justify my position and recommendation; it’s a big responsibility to get the right balance between the benefits for the country applying for a grant or loan and the risks for the bank.”