Foundation Board

The fact that the board of the Digicel Foundation is almost entirely comprised of Digicel staff members is its unique factor. These dedicated and passionate individuals donate freely of their time and counsel for the benefit of uplifting our communities.

Denis O'Brien - Patron

Denis O'Brien is Chairman of the privately-owned Digicel Group, one of the fastest growing cellular companies in the world.

Mr. O’Brien founded Digicel in 2001 when the company launched a GSM cellular phone service in the Caribbean. The Digicel Group has extended its operations to 22 markets with more than 4 million subscribers in the Caribbean, Central and South America region.

Digicel Pacific recently acquired a business in Samoa and has secured licences in Fiji and a number of other markets in the region.

Mr. O’Brien is one of Ireland’s leading entrepreneurs with extensive investments across several sectors including international telecoms, radio, media, property, aircraft leasing, golf and other leisure interests. He also founded Communicorp Group which owns and manages a portfolio of media and broadcasting-related companies in Ireland and seven other European countries.

Prior to establishing Digicel Denis O’Brien founded the Esat Telecom Group plc and built it throughout the 1990’s until its sale to British Telecom plc for € 2.4 billion.

Outside of his extensive business interests, Denis chaired the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Ireland. It was the first time the Summer Games were staged outside the US with teams from 160 countries and over 30,000 volunteers, the 2003 Summer Games were the most successful ever.

He is Chairman of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Judging Panel, having previously been a recipient of the award. He serves as a Director on the US Board of Concern Worldwide.

In addition, he is the Chairman and Co-Founder of Frontline, the International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders. Based in Dublin, Frontline is working to ensure that the standards set out in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted in 1998, are known, respected and adhered to worldwide. Frontline’s work consists of research, advocacy, communications/technical assistance and emergency evacuation of human rights activists.

In 2000 he established The O’Brien Foundation to identify and assist projects in Ireland and internationally which aim to alleviate disadvantaged communities.

Denis holds a BA degree from University College Dublin and an MBA from Boston College.

Peter Aitsi - Chairman
In 1994 Mr. Aitsi was appointed as Director of Sales of the commercial radio station PNGFM Ltd. holding company for NAUFM, YUMIFM, Total Events Company and www.pngvillage.com . In 1996 he was promoted to Deputy General Manager and later appointed as General Manager in 1999. In the same year he was elected as the President of the Media Council of Papua New Guinea a position he held until 2007. The Media Council is the industry body representing the interest of media organizations in PNG. The industry is made up of 2 daily newspapers, 2 weekly newspapers, 2 nationwide TV broadcasters, 4 major nationwide radio broadcasters and several smaller regional broadcasters. During his term as President in 2001 the Media Council launched “War on Corruption”; a strategic media based campaign, linking the main stream media with a national network of rural and urban community organizations with the prime aim of exposing corrupt individuals.

In September 2008 Mr. Aitsi was appointed the Country Manager of GDH Hassall. The company is an international leader in delivering development assistance projects with a strong focus on sustainability with more than 100 offices and 6000 staff operating worldwide.

He remains active on various boards including Transparency International (PNG) and in 2008 was elected Chairman. He has in the past served for 14 years on the Board of City Mission, a NGO, which focuses on initiating community based projects for disadvantaged youths as well as supporting abused women and children through the operations of Family shelters in PNG.

Mr. Aitsi brings a tremendous amount of experience to the Board of the Digicel Foundation drawing from his engagement with organizations that address a development perspective as well as having a strong exposure to commercial and business perspective.

Marina van der Vlies - Executive Director
Marina van der Vlies is the Executive Director of the Digicel Foundation. This non-profit, philanthropic organization, established by Digicel PNG, seeks to identify and support genuine needs in communities across PNG. These programmes will be mainly in the educational, social and cultural areas.

From July 2007 to August 2008 she was the PR, Sponsorship and Community Events Manager of Digicel PNG Ltd. In this role she initiated several community development programmes including the Street Vendors Programme whereby disadvantaged, unemployed youths are trained to sell Digicel prepaid cards on the streets thereby earning their own income as well as the Digicel sponsored HIV Aids Toll free Info line, a first of its kind in the Pacific region, operated by the Business Coalition Against HIV Aids Papua New Guinea (BAHA).

Mrs van der Vlies has more than 10 years of experience in the international telecommunications sector. From 2003 to 2006 she was Manager of a Business consultants team with Versatel, a Dutch telecommunications operator based in Amsterdam , The Netherlands. Prior to that she worked for Logica CMG Consulting as a business consultant in the telecommunications market.

Born in Parimaribo , Suriname , in 1969 she was internationally educated in Australia , Ireland and the Netherlands with a Masters degree in Communication Science from the University of Amsterdam .

She was appointed as Executive Director to the Digicel Foundation in September 2008.