Ms. Lucy Sugiyama, Palau Pacific Resort (PPR) assistant manager, has been selected to be the keynote speaker for Palau International Coral Reef Center’s (PICRC) 16th Anniversary Fundraising Dinner Gala. The fundraising gala will be held on January 18, 2017 at PICRC grounds. PICRC’s only fundraising event of the year is co-costed by President Tommy E. Remengesau and Rubekul Belau (Palau Council of Chiefs). [/restrict]
Ms. Sugiyama, who has been with PPR for thirty-two years, is the second highest executive in PPR’s management team. Ms. Sugiyama and the whole PPR organization is an environmentally conscious business and support many environmental initiatives, including monitoring of Ngerkebesang Conservation Area. The resort was built to blend in with the surrounding natural environment. None of its buildings is taller than the tallest coconut tree. Its waterfront area is a conservation zone by Koror State law. Their facility uses solar power energy and has equipment that turns plastic into oil that can be used for small equipment.
One of PICRC’s core values is, “Investing in People and Learning”. PPR share that same value, as it has been in the forefront of capacity building and investing in Palauans, with about 80% of its staff being Palauan. PPR is leading the way in demonstrating that business can be successful and invest in building local capacity for all the different part of the business, from senior management to line employees.
Because Lucy Sugiyama and PPR are visionaries who support environmentally friendly development and investment in capacity building for Palauans, she was selected to give the keynote address for PICRC’s 16th Anniversary Fundraising Dinner Gala. The theme for this annual PICRC event is ‘Visionaries – leading conservation forward’. Ms. Lucy Sugiyama and Palau Pacific Resort are good examples of a visionaries leading conservation forward. [/restrict]