Hari Punja

Hari Punja, OF, OBE (born 1936) is an Indo-Fijian businessman and Chairman of Hari Punja Group of Companies. Hari Punja and Sons Limited is a very diversified (and probably the largest) company in Fiji.^[1]

Hari Punja was born in Fiji and received his education in Fiji and Australia. He trained as a chemical engineer. Punja joined the business in 1960. He has served as a mayor of Lautoka^[2] and on a number of prestigious boards such as Fiji Broadcasting Commission and Fiji Sugar Corporation.^[2] He served as a Senator^[2] from 1996 to 1999.

Following the passage of the Media Industry Development Decree 2010 by the military regime, Punja resigned from the board of Fiji Television^[3] and sold his stake in radio company Communications Fiji Limited.^[4]

Honors

Punja has been bestowed with many credentials and honors. Some of these include:

Order of the British Empire (OBE)^[2]
Justice of the Peace (JP)
Order of Fiji: Bestowed by the President of Fiji, Ratu Sir Kaisese Mara
The Fiji National Millennium Committee recognized Hari Punja as an outstanding contributor in shaping the nation of Fiji during the 20th Century
He was named as one of the 10 most successful businessmen living outside India in "The Encyclopedia of the Indian Diaspora" (2006) by Professor Dr. Brij Lal (Australian National University)
Punja was rated the 6th most influential person in the Pacific region through a poll carried out by the Australian-based Pacific Magazine.

^ "Be rich to help poor: Punja". Fiji Times. January 25, 2007. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Stewart Firth, Daryl Tarte, University of the South Pacific (2001). Twentieth century Fiji. USP Solutions, University of the South Pacific. p. 198. Retrieved 2010-07-21.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ "Punja resigns to observe media decree". Fiji Sun. 8 December 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
^ "Punja sells radio company shares". Fiji Sun. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2023.