Women in tax: the mentorship journey of Vanessa Mamu

In a moving and powerful speech, Vanessa Mamu, Director (Advising) of the Legal Service Division of the Internal Revenue Commission in Papua New Guinea shared her reflections on participating in the PITAA-NTO Women in Tax mentorship programme.

This is Vanessa Mamu's speech during her intervention in the webinar "Empowering women in taxation: the role of women-led networks", jointly organised by the Network of Tax Organisations (NTO) and the Addis Tax Initiative (ATI) on 26 June 2025.

The NTO Secretariat extends its heartfelt thanks to Vanessa for allowing us to share her moving speech.

I have been a keen follower of the ATAF Women in Tax Network in recent years. Seeing women tax colleagues in the African continent connecting, collaborating, developing and raising awareness about the interconnectivity of tax policy and gender equality made me realise that such a network of like-minded women will greatly benefit us in the Pacific region as well. Over the years, I have had the pleasure of meeting women in tax colleagues from across the Pacific, and from the conversations I’ve shared with them I recognised the importance of representation, mentorship, and empowerment within the tax field in our region.

I saw the programme as a unique platform to connect with women tax colleagues from my region, to learn from them, and also to contribute my voice, experiences, and insights which I hoped could be useful to the other participants in the program. My experience with the PITAA Women in Tax (WIT) Leadership Programme has been empowering. I had initially indicated my preference to participate in the programme as a mentee because I did not think that I had it in me to be a mentor. However, Petero Maivucevuce, Head of Secretariat at PITAA and the coordinators considered that I was well placed to be a mentor hence, they re-directed my course in this programme. Personally, the request from them to be a mentor was a huge vote of confidence in myself as a woman-in-tax and a professional.

The mentorship journey and webinars highlighted to me the importance of leading with confidence, authenticity, and purpose. The programme also helped me reflect on my own leadership style, identify areas for growth, and actively work to better myself as a woman leader. Most importantly, the programme has reinforced the importance of empowering other women-in-tax in my region.

I have two key takeaways from my participation in the PITAA WIT programme: 1. be authentic 2. the power of mentorship and networks

1. Be authentic

One of the key lessons I learned is that human relationships require one to be your authentic self. To grow and establish effective 2-way relationships with other people, you must be yourself. Authentic leadership doesn't require changing who I am—it requires being true to myself, self-aware, and values-driven. I’ve learned to embrace my own leadership style, which includes empathy, collaboration, and accountability.
In my current role, I will endeavour to be authentic in how I lead others; this will include being more empathic, collaborate more with others, be accountable to my colleagues, and openly communicate to them the same expectation I have for them.

2. The power of mentorship and networks

Being part of a regional community of women in tax showed me the power of mentorship and peer support. As the famous saying goes: “We rise by lifting others.”
The programme affirmed the belief in my own expertise and ability to influence others. It was a light bulb moment for me in that I now see that I can mentor others—especially women—share knowledge and opportunities that can help them advance their careers in tax administration.

I would wholeheartedly encourage other women to join leadership programmes like the PITAA Women in Tax Programme.

For me, this opportunity offered more than just professional development—it provided me with the opportunity to connect with other women-in-tax colleagues in my region and share with them my experience in working in tax over the last decade. It made me realise that women-in-tax in my region face similar issues, and we can use this opportunity through the Pacific WIT network to find solutions to those issues. If you have the opportunity to participate in similar programs—take it. You’ll gain knowledge, confidence, and be part of a network of like-minded women that can support each other to drive meaningful change in tax administration across our region.

I will define my journey in one word: EMPOWERING! I used this word to describe my journey because at the start of the programme, I did not think I was cut out to be a mentor. I didn’t have the self-belief in my own expertise to be able to guide another colleague in this programme. I’m thankful that Petero and the program coordinators believed in me (on paper) to direct me down this path of being a mentor, and I am glad I took on this challenge. The programme has been a rewarding path of mutual growth for both my mentee and me.