Post by Agnes Kerslake

He was named Sam after our father, the late Honorable Fa'aso'otauloa Semu Pualagi Sam Saili, because they shared a birthday. Later, our father’s family in Salamumu and Saleaula bestowed the same matai (chiefly) title, "Fa'aso'otauloa," upon him, acknowledging his tautua (service) to our paternal lineage. In truth, our mother, Metotagivale, had already allocated each of us to serve the various lineages on both sides of the family. 🎙️ A Legacy in the Voice If you listen to Sam speak, he also sounds just like our dad—though perhaps two decibels quieter and a bit more diplomatic. We can credit that gentle, strategic demeanor to our maternal grandfather, the late Hon. Leaupepe Pita of our FasitooUta lineage. 🌍 Building From the Ground Up Our father passed away when the two youngest in our family were 10 (Nome) and 12 (Sam). He did not leave behind a business, land, a home to our name, or a term deposit to cash out. Yet, through our mother’s prayers and faith, the Righteousness of God prevailed. Proverbs 20:7: "The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him”. Each year, I watch our father's legacy bloom through his children. 🚀 Transformative architect What our father did for Samoa's financial ecosystem in the 1970s and 1980s, my brothers are now doing for the nation in the digital and geospatial fields. 💡SAMOA's BEST: Fa'amalo Hon. Fata Ryan Schuster and team MCIL, Samoa's Permanent Representative to the UN, H.E Toleafoa Nella Tavita-Levy and Samoa Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Fa'amalo le finau mo Samoa ma ona tagata faigaluega. As the Samoan proverb goes “O le fuata ma lona lou”; and in the words of Mordecai to Queen Esther; “you have come to this position for such a time as this.”  To Sam Saili, as mum raised us, 'you’re not there to make up the numbers, you're there to make a difference'. Fa'amalo for speaking on behalf of the private sector, leveraging your knowledge on emerging tech and #ArtificialIntelligence to influence better global policies that will impact our workforce, our businesses, and labour governance.   #Leadership #Samoa #DigitalTransformation #Innovation #FamilyLegacy #SkyEyePacific #MauaApp #Geospatial #TechForGood #PacificBusiness