Sarah Haoda Todd
Born
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
NationalityPapua New Guinean
Alma materDivine Word University, Papua New Guinea University of Technology
Occupation(s)Businesswoman in fashion and business services
TitleCEO PNGian Kala and Lae Everclean
Spouse
Gordon Todd
​
(m. 2005)​
Children5

Sarah Haoda Todd is an entrepreneur, fashion designer and activist from Lae, Papua New Guinea. After starting a cleaning business in 1997, Haoda Todd became a fashion designer, basing her designs on the art, culture, materials, and symbols of Morobe Province and Papua New Guinea. She is also one of the founders of Arise Women, an organization that fights against violence affecting women and children.[1]

Education

In 2012, Haoda Todd completed a two-year Diploma in Management from Divine Word University, PNG.[2] She then completed the Executive MBA program at Papua New Guinea University of Technology.[3]

Career

Lae Everclean

After working as an executive assistant for a mining company and as an advertising executive for a plastics and chemical manufacturer, Haoda Todd ventured out on her own.[4] When Haoda Todd started her cleaning service, Lae Everclean Limited in 1997, she had just three employees.[5] Originally based in Lae City, her goal was to become a laundry and dry cleaning service, but she had trouble getting the business up and running. She was turned down for small business loans three times.[6][7]

Haoda Todd credits an Australian retiree, Ron Werner, for mentoring her through the early years. When she could not make it by focusing on laundry, he suggested that she "clean toilets and buildings."[7] Lae Everclean grew into a cleaning and laundry service with large corporate clients, such as SP Brewery Lae and Nambawan Super Ltd in Port Moresby.[7] In 2008, she expanded to Port Moresby,[8] and by 2013, the business employed over 350 employees.[6][5]

PNGianKala

In 2012, Haoda Todd founded PNGianKala (pronounced "Papua New Guinean color"),[9] a clothing company, with the motto: "Wear your culture." She draws on cultures and the beauty of PNG to inspire her designs and to protect and preserve diverse and unique art and culture, inspired by such local materials as bilum, tattoo, and Oro tapa.[10][11][12] She premiered the line at an Indigenous Business Council fundraiser.[10] PNGianKala includes labels such as her Kekeni line,[13] and Sha-mata Clothing, making American consumer products in clothing and accessories.[8][7]

As PNG did not have the capacity to do digital printing on high quality silk, Haoda Todd commissioned a company overseas to do the printing. Unfortunately, when the agent saw she was from "New Guinea," her cloth was all shipped to Africa, which meant she had nothing to show. She managed to get her designs printed on to Spandex—the closest fabric available—and had twelve outfits to reveal at the show.[12]

Along with shows in Fiji, Indonesia, and Australia[14] PNG Fashion and Design Week highlighted Haoda Todd's work.[15] This exposure led to attention in Europe, including at London Pacific Fashion Week in 2017 and 2018.[16]

The first time she traveled to London, she was the only designer representing PNG; in 2018 she took Anna Amos of AA Tribal and also Alang Isaac, a model from her Angau Angles organization.[14] However, it was challenging to raise the funds for them to travel and ship exhibits to London.[16]

Selected runway shows include:

  • Runway 2014, 2016
  • PNG Fashion and Design Week
  • London Pacific Fashion Week
  • Fiji Fashion Week 2013, 2014[17][18]
  • Pacific Resort Wear show in Fiji[12]
  • Port Moresby Fashion Week 2016[19]
  • Thirteen designers from across the Pacific, including Fiji, Cook Islands, and Papua New Guinea showcased their 2013 collections for the first time in Papua New Guinea at the new Cosmopolitan Club in Port Moresby on Wednesday 27 November.[20]

Fashion retailer Jack's of PNG commissioned PNGianKala for an exclusive line of clothing in 2016.[21][22]

In 2017, Haoda Todd lead an effort to launch PNGiankala Runway, a platform PNG designers can join to help raise funds to travel abroad.[23] That same year, her newest line, honoring Susan Karike Huhume,[7] premiered at the Pacific Resort Wear show, her third runway show in Fiji.


In 2011, at the Indigenous Business Summit and Trade Expo in Kokopo, participants representing over 750 indigenous-owned businesses identified this need.[24]

On 14 December 2012, their dream was realized with the formal launch of the Indigenous Business Council, followed by an agreement from the government to grant $500 million in support of recruiting and developing indigenous-owned businesses.[24] Haoda Todd was Secretary from 2011 to 2013. Citing constraints on accessing credit, accessing raw materials, no consistent access to basic services due to poor infrastructure such as roads, lack of electricity, lack of knowledge in technology, and human resources and cultural beliefs,[25] the council offers planning assistance, paperwork assistance, and training in other areas that Haoda Todd remembers learning by trial and error. Overall, it aims to protect indigenous business owners and their businesses.[24] As the organization had no funding, she organized a series of fundraiser to keep the Council operating.[6]


Women Arise PNG

Haoda Todd entered a new field of civic engagement in November 2011, when Lae experienced widespread riots in which dozens of people were killed or injured. While media reported a variety of causes, from ethnic tensions to rising crime rates, at least some of the anger was sparked by sexual assaults on two young women.[26][27] Haoda Todd was angry that the task force put together to analyze ethnic tensions and work towards solutions was entirely male, and called on the local government to appoint women to work on the investigation and repair.[28]


Civic activity

Haoda Todd has maintained an active and engaged civic life.[29][30][31][32] She focuses on opportunities for business development and women's rights.


In addition, Haoda Todd has been a committee member of the PNG Red Cross, Lae Branch, director on the Board of Habitat for Humanity, Papua New Guinea, director on TISOL Board (The International School of Lae).[33] In 2019, Haoda Todd was one of nine local leaders the provincial and national governments tapped to lead the newly founded Morobe Health Authority (MPHA). Bringing together influential community members with local religious, civic, and business organizations to offer oversight of local health services, the government hoped, would make them more effective and efficient.[34]

Hospital governance

Haoda Todd is a board member of the Angau Memorial General Hospital in Lae City.[35] She believes that PNG's success is directly tied to the health of its citizens, and promoted programs through which the hospital helped assure individuals in rural regions access to healthcare.[36]

Angau Angels

Haoda Todd has helped the Angau Angels[37][38][35] organize fashion shows to raise money for the Angau Memorial General Hospital. When the 6th PNG Games were held in Lae, she directed the Angau Angels Fashion Extravaganza, which featured work from a range of PNG fashion designers, modeled by seventy young people who were born in the hospital or had otherwise benefited from its services.[37]

One of her Angau Angels models is Alang Isaac, who has worked runways for PNGianKala in various countries, as well as singing for the domestically popular band, Jokema.[39]

Beauty pageants

Herself a former Miss Papua New Guinea, Haoda Todd was a judge in the Miss South Pacific beauty pageant in 2014.[40][41]

She was a judge for the Digicel PNG Foundation's 2016 Men of Honor Awards, Community Leadership category.[42]

Personal life

Originally from Poreporena, Port Moresby,[7] she married her husband, entrepreneur Gordon Todd, on 23 July 2005. They live in Lae,[43] They have five children.

Awards

  • 2019 Awarded "FOUNDER AWARD" by the Kumul Gamechangers of Papua New Guinea
  • 2013 "FEMALE DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR" by PNG Institute of Directors[44]
  • 2011 Awarded "Entrepreneur of the Year" Award by Westpac Business Women Awards[5][45]
  • 2011 Winner of Overall "Westpac Outstanding Woman", Business Woman of the Year[5][45]
  • 2011 Nominated for SP Brewery Entrepreneur Award[46]
  • 2012 Nominated to tour US cities, US State Department International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP)[7]
  • 2003 Represented Papua New Guinea in Golf at the South Pacific Games in Fiji[47]
  • 1998, Represented Lae Squash Team at the National Championships in Madang
  • 1992, Represented Papua New Guinea as a Pavilion Ambassador at the World Exposition in Seville, Spain
  • 1989, Crowned 2nd Runner-up in the Red Cross Miss Papua New Guinea pageant

References

  1. ↑ "Setting examples in the cleaning industry". Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  2. ↑ "Divine Word University 30th Graduation Ceremony Official Program". Divine Word University. 3 March 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  3. ↑ Akanda, Shamsul (2014). "Papua New Guinea University of Technology: Research Report, 2014" (PDF). Papua New Guinea University of Technology. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  4. ↑ "KK Kingston Ltd. - About Us". www.kingston.com.pg. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  5. 1 2 3 4 WRAKUALE, ANCILLA (2011-10-23). "Inspirational Todd wins top awards". The National. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  6. 1 2 3 "Businesswoman Sarah Haoda Todd speaks to Pacific Beat". ABC News. 2013-01-21. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 BAOA, RANOBA (13 November 2012). "Setting examples in the cleaning industry". Fiji Sun. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Creating business opportunities". The National. 2015-08-19. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  9. ↑ Spark, Ceridwen. “Working Out What to Wear in Papua New Guinea: The Politics of Fashion in Stella.” The Contemporary Pacific, vol. 27, no. 1, 2015, pp. 39–70., www.jstor.org/stable/24809813. Accessed 24 January 2021.
  10. 1 2 "Stella ~ RUNWAY 2014". stellamag.com. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  11. ↑ "Stella ~ PNGianKala at Fiji Fashion Week 2013". stellamag.com. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  12. 1 2 3 Wansolwara (2017-05-28). "PNG designer set to overcome 'roadblock'". Medium.com. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  13. ↑ "Hotel set to host Stella runway show". Post Courier. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  14. 1 2 "PNGian Kala takes Kumul to London fashion parade". Post Courier. 2018-09-09. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  15. ↑ Maribu, Grace (1 July 2019). "A Runway Success". Paradise: the in-flight magazine of Air Niugini. p. 96. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  16. 1 2 "PNG Designer to showcase Fashion label in London, UK". One Papua New Guinea. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  17. ↑ Singh, Shelvin. "Emerging Designers Show Highs & Lows". MaiLife.com. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  18. ↑ "Stella ~ PNGianKala at Fiji Fashion Week 2013". stellamag.com. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  19. ↑ "Stella ~ In League For Women's Empowerment". stellamag.com. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  20. ↑ "Stella ~ CPL Port Moresby Fashion Week highlights". stellamag.com. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  21. ↑ "Local designer launches product with Jack's of PNG". The National. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  22. ↑ "Inspirational Lae-based fashion designer Sarah R Haoda Todd of label PNGianKala tonight launched her latest collection at Jacks of PNG, where it will be exclusively sold". Lily PNG Magazine. 5 October 2016.
  23. ↑ "Plans to promote PNG fashion abroad". Post Courier. 17 August 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  24. 1 2 3 "PNG wakes indigenous businesses from slumber". Torres News. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  25. ↑ "Lae business owner lauds help for SMEs". The National. 24 November 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  26. ↑ "Crime wave fuels Lae riots". www.pngreport.com. 2011-11-07. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  27. ↑ "Hundreds being re-housed following PNG riots". RNZ. 2011-11-08. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  28. ↑ "Keith Jackson & Friends: PNG ATTITUDE". Keith Jackson & Friends: PNG ATTITUDE. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  29. ↑ "Lae chamber of commerce supports initiative". The National. 2013-05-16. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  30. ↑ "What a senseless waste of a life". The National. 2015-01-04. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  31. ↑ "Hospital staff protest". The National. 2015-05-27. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  32. ↑ "Students told to keep oral hygiene". The National. 2015-08-05. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  33. ↑ "Annual Report, 2014" (PDF). Transparency International PNG. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  34. ↑ "New health board to oversee health services in Morobe". The National. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  35. 1 2 "PNG women in NSW donate to Angau hospital". Post Courier. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  36. ↑ "Noble service by group noble". The National. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  37. 1 2 "Angau 'babies' set for hospital fundraising fashion show". The National. 2014-11-18. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  38. ↑ "Angau Angels Foundation". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  39. ↑ "Alang Isaac". Lily PNG Magazine. 2018-09-17.
  40. ↑ "DOC SPIN IT!". Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  41. ↑ "PNG makes history at beauty pageant - Cook Islands News". 18 August 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  42. ↑ "Digicel supports Men of Honor Awards 2016". Papua New Guinea Today (in Indonesian). Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  43. ↑ LAHOC, GABRIEL (25 July 2011). "Couple in Lae recalls marriage vows". The National. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  44. ↑ "PNG INSTITUTE OF DIRECTORS AWARDS". Papua New Guinea Education News. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  45. 1 2 "Women in business awards launched – The National". www.thenational.com.pg. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
  46. ↑ Yagi, Sylver (30 October 2015). "SP sponsors Westpac Outstanding Women's Award". Loop PNG. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  47. ↑ "The 2003 South Pacific Games in Suva, Fiji from 28 June to 12 July 2003". SportsTG. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
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