November 2025 – Kokomo Private Island, Fiji's most exclusive private island, has appointed Karen Merrick as its new General Manager, bringing more than two decades of international leadership experience to the award-winning property.

Merrick joins Kokomo following senior roles with Aman, Soneva, JA Resorts, and Song Saa Private Island, where she established a reputation for repositioning luxury assets and leading high performing teams across Asia and the Pacific. Her appointment underscores Kokomo's continued evolution as a global benchmark for sustainable, experience-led hospitality.

“Leadership today requires equal parts commercial focus and cultural sensitivity,” Merrick says. “The most successful resorts are those that balance operational excellence with authenticity where sustainability, community and innovation are not competing priorities, but complementary ones.”

Originally from Scotland and now based between the Maldives and Fiji, Merrick has built her career in remote, design-driven destinations where a deep respect for place shapes both guest experience and business practice.

“Kokomo occupies a rare position in the market, it's an independent brand with the standards of a global operator and the soul of a family enterprise,” she explains. “That combination allows us to make fast, meaningful decisions, to innovate, and to deliver a guest experience that feels both personal and world-class.”

Her focus in the months ahead will be to strengthen Kokomo's positioning across key international markets, deepen the resort's sustainability framework, and continue to cultivate a leadership culture defined by purpose and pride of place.

“In an industry increasingly driven by metrics, it's important to remember that people remain the ultimate differentiator,” she adds. “Our team is our greatest asset and empowering them to lead with confidence and care is central to Kokomo's success.”

Merrick's appointment signals a new era for Kokomo Private Island - one that blends commercial vision with cultural integrity, positioning the resort for continued growth in the next chapter of Fijian luxury hospitality.

There are private island resorts, and then there's Kokomo Private Island. A sanctuary set on the edge of the world, Kokomo occupies a rare place in the modern luxury landscape, one that favours discretion over display, substance over spectacle. Here guests spend days diving with manta rays, wandering the island's gardens, or doing absolutely nothing at all. Privacy is absolute. Service is intuitive. And connection to nature, to self, to others, is deeply felt.

While 21 Beachfront Villas each have their own private pool and uninterrupted ocean view, five Grand Residences are tucked into the hillside, offering expansive sanctuaries for families or groups, complete with butlers and nannies.

Kokomo is not simply a destination. It's a vision realised. The island is the legacy of its founder, the late Lang Walker, who set out to create the ultimate private island experience: a place of unrivalled luxury built on the foundations of sustainability, community, and stewardship. That ambition has shaped every facet of Kokomo's offering, from the edible gardens that fuel the island's world-class dining program to its comprehensive reef restoration initiatives.

A place of purpose, Kokomo's commitment to sustainability is as ambitious as its design: coral propagation, acoustic manta tagging, mangrove reforestation, farm-to-table agriculture, Dock to Dish fishing, and a no-take fishing zone all form part of a dynamic conservation portfolio. Guests are invited to witness and take part in these initiatives, leaving lighter footprints and deeper impact. This is not just a holiday. This is time, reclaimed. This is luxury, redefined.

For additional information on Kokomo Private Island, please contact Carol Ann Kelley-Elwell carolann@vkpr.com at Victoria King Public Relations.

Kokomo Private Island

Olivia Isbister

E: Olivia.Isbister@kokomoislandfiji.com

M: +61 488 160 743

NOTES FOR EDITORS

ABOUT KOKOMO PRIVATE ISLAND