He was born on a tiny island paradise in Tuvalu called Nanumaga, on the 21st January, 1961. Attended secondary education in Tarawa, the Capital of the then Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony (GEIC), and later at Motufoua High School on Vaitupu, Tuvalu, following Tuvalu’s separation from the Gilbert Islands, in 1976. Over the course of several years, he attended university in the United Kingdom, in Fiji, and in Aotearoa (the Land of the Long White Cloud). For doing time on their campuses, these institutions gave him pieces of papers with their crests and someone’s signature on them, in the following areas; a) Diploma in Accounting and Financial Management, Loughborough University, UK, b) Bachelor of Arts in Business Studies, University of the South Pacific, Fiji, c) Master in Business Studies, Massey University, NZ. For over 30 years, he worked for the largest national retail company in the country, and 18 of those years as its CEO. Served various directorship/chairmanship roles in various corporate boards including the National Bank of Tuvalu (NBT), Tuvalu National Provident Fund (TNPF), Tuvalu Electricity Corporation (TEC), and Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation (TTC). Took Tuvalu’s Team to its first Olympic Games in 2008, Beijing, China. Opted for early retirement in 2010 to pursue his political dreams and had since held ministerial portfolios initially in Finance and Economic Development, and currently in Communication and Transport. Very much happily married with one daughter and two sons, and three grandchildren.