Craig holds extensive expertise as a business leader, with more than twenty years of experience in corporate strategy, client relationship management, and cross-cultural business development. In his capacity as the Executive Director of the ANZCCJ, he is tasked with steering the Chamber’s strategic direction, bolstering its visibility and membership base, nurturing robust collaborative relationships between pivotal industry and government stakeholders, and collaborating with key agencies such as Austrade, NZTE, the Australian Hydrogen Council, and the Smart Energy Council to facilitate the creation of commercial opportunities aimed at fortifying economic connections between Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.

Before relocating to Japan in early 2023, Craig`s proven track record of managing dynamic business environments and delivering business outcomes through exceptional client management was gained in roles at AMP Capital, ING Investment Management and Deloitte. Serving as the Head of Business Relationships at AMP Capital, Craig spearheaded distribution strategies, orchestrated a groundbreaking $500 million arrangement with MUFG: Trust Bank, and nurtured essential business relationships to propel the Japan office’s goals significantly. Proficient in manoeuvring complex cross-cultural dynamics, Craig holds a deep understanding of Japanese and Australian business practices, complemented by formidable interpersonal and communication skills that have led diverse teams throughout the region.

Moreover, Craig is dedicated to fostering the next wave of the Australia-Japan bilateral relationship’s stewards, as evidenced by his involvement as an Australia-Japan Business Co-operation Committee (AJBCC) Board Member and Chair of the AJBCC-JABCC Future Leaders in Australia. Craig took the reins of the AJBCC Future Leaders program, uniting a diverse cohort of young members and harnessing their fresh perspectives to explore opportunities across the bilateral. Additionally, his commitment to the ANZCCJ Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, including the Internship Program, underscores his dedication to supporting driven individuals through an internship program that provides valuable exposure and opportunities within Australia-New Zealand-Japan relations.

With over seven years of experience in Operations Management across diverse industries, including real estate and IT, I bring a comprehensive understanding of business operations, accounting, and HR. My international exposure, gained through five years of studying abroad and five years working in a property company targeting foreign nationals, has equipped me with a keen sensitivity to cultural nuances and the challenges of international business relations.

I have independently managed core business functions, including accounting, legal, and HR, and have played a pivotal role as a primary outward-facing company representative. Engaging with key customers, including large corporations, I have been instrumental in driving sales and maintaining the company’s public image and relations. My recent activities in IT-related project management have further honed my skills in organizing and executing complex projects.

Currently, I serve as the General Manager at Kadric Smart Solutions, Inc., a position I have held since 2022. Additionally, through this, I have had the privilege to take part as the Operations Manager at the Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan, where I have been contributing since 2024. These roles have given me a solid footing in both the Japanese industry and the international community in Japan.

As a Japanese national with extensive international exposure, I offer a unique perspective and am committed to helping companies establish a successful presence in Japan. Looking ahead, I am eager to expand my skill set and broaden my reach into other industries, becoming a more effective bridge between Japan and the international business world.

Alexandra holds Bachelor’s degrees in Commerce and Science from the University of Melbourne and was awarded the New Colombo Plan Scholarship by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, allowing her to reside in Japan from April 2022 to January 2024, and also undertake an internship with the Chamber from September 2023. Her responsibilities include enhancing our online presence, strengthening the internship program for young professionals, and expanding our corporate social responsibility initiatives.

Concurrently, Alexandra is pursuing a Doctor of Medicine at The University of Queensland and aims to bolster our membership base within the healthcare sphere, including medical devices, healthcare applications, and pharmaceuticals.

Hailing from Adelaide in South Australia, Sally Townsend studied economics at The University of Adelaide before coming to Japan in 2000 to teach English. After studying Japanese at a language school in Tokyo,  she went on to pursue a full-time degree in sociology at Nihon University, graduating in 2008. After graduation, she worked forwine importer Jeroboam in Tokyo, then a Singapore-based luxury lifestyle company, opening their Japan office in 2017. In March 2019, she took on her current position as Regional Director, South Australia, for  Japan and Korea. An active participant in the Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan for over 10 years, she became Chair in January 2019.

Andrew assumed his present position as Head of the Lendlease business in Japan in December 2007. The business has seen tremendous growth and diversification in his tenure, now employing over 500 professionals in the fields of Project Management, Construction, Development and Investment. A leader in innovation, Andrew has also facilitated the development of market leading product to the Japanese telecoms industry. Andrew was heavily involved in setting up the Lendlease telecoms Infrastructure business in the US from 2015 to 2019 and whilst still leading the Japan business was appointed as Head of Telecoms and Data Infrastructure Asia in 2019. In this role Andrew is responsible for overseeing new investment opportunities in data centres and data infrastructure targeting Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore. Andrew served as the Chair of Australia New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan from 2016 to 2019 and currently holds the role Senior Councilor with the Chamber. Andrew also currently sits on the Executive Committee of the Australia Japan Business Corporation Committee (AJBCC).

Tim has been based in Japan for 22 years and is currently Head of International Sales, Japan with Saputo Dairy Australia. Saputo Dairy Australia is Australia’s largest dairy company and exports a wide range of dairy ingredients (predominately cheese) to Japan. Saputo Dairy Australia is a Division of Saputo Inc., which is one of the top 10 dairy companies globally and exports dairy ingredients to Japan from Canada, the USA, Argentina and the United Kingdom. Tim is an active member of the ANZCCJ Executive Council, where he serves as Treasurer and Co-Vice Chair and has also been Chair of the Food, Agriculture and Hospitality Committee since 2014. Tim is also a founding member and treasurer of the NPO, Carbine Club of Tokyo which has raised money for a number of charities including Child Fund Pass It Back and Very Special Kids through sports related luncheons.

Dean has been heading operations for AAPC Japan (Accor) for the past 3 years as Vice President and Representative Director. Prior to his appointment in this role he served as the Area General Manager for Hokkaido & Okinawa from 2016. Accor is one of the largest Hotel Operators in the world with over 5,300 Hotels in operation and 1,220 pipeline Hotels globally. Japan is a key market for growth for Accor and Dean leads Operations while supporting the development of brands and Hotels. Dean has worked closely with the Chamber and regularly supports events and trade shows at the Pullman Tokyo Tamachi. A passionate hotelier from New Zealand who focuses on expanding professional relationships with global and local business partners.

Introducing Byron Frost, boasting a 24-year legacy of cultivating relationships between Japan and Australia. As a Counsel with Baker & McKenzie’s Tokyo office, Byron plays a crucial role in M&A transactions across the technology, consumer, and tourism industries. With dedication to boosting the value of Chamber memberships, Byron advocates for bringing people together, recently moderating the Chamber’s Basketball Australia event on behalf of the Sports for Business Committee. Residing in Japan for now 8-years, Byron maintains a plethora of long-standing Japanese friendships, dating back to his teenage years and beyond.

Whilst calling Yokohama, Japan home, Yuzo Okuno, the the Director and General Manager in External Affairs, Communications and Corporate Functions for North East Asia at Rio Tinto, has spent many years of his life living abroad including in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia. During a five-year tenure in Sydney, Yuzo-san explored both Australia and New Zealand, admiring the open communication style of the local people, and thoroughly appreciating sporting culture, especially rugby. Yuzo-san presently oversees corporate functions for Rio Tinto, including external affairs and communication with government officials in Japan and partly in Korea. His membership with ANZCCJ connects him to various industries, promoting diversity in business.

Shu Saito, the Japan Head of Macquarie Group Asset Management, was born in Odate City of Akita Prefecture, the birthplace of the famous loyal dog “Hachiko”. With an extensive global career in the financial services industry, Shu-san strongly values the opportunity to engage with ANZCCJ members and businesses, believing that such exposure enhances his knowledge of people, culture, and food, and highlights the significance of cross-cultural communication in today’s global business world.

Ian has been working and living in Japan for over 13 years and aside from his various other sporting appointments during his tenure in Japan, he is currently a Senior Partner at Atsumi & Sakai, heading their Sports, Media & Entertainment law practice group. Ian was deeply involved in various legal aspects for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympic Games and the Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan and was the Managing Director for World Rugby’s Japanese entity for over 7 years. Ian is also a leading spokesperson in the area of Sports Governance and Integrity in sport and won the award in 2021 as Foreigner Lawyer of the Year in Japan. Ian has been an active participant of the Chamber, in particular supporting the activities as Co-Chairmen of the Sport for Business committee and related events. He is committed to increasing the Australian/New Zealand business and commercial relationships through sport and raising the Chamber’s presence in what is a very important time for Australia, NZ and Japanese business.

Lily Takagasa, the Sales Lead for Pattie’s Foods, spent her formative years in Toride, Ibaraki, the birthplace of the iconic Nissin Cup Ramen. Lily’s academic pursuits led her to New Zealand, where she spent a decade exploring both the North and South islands, immersing herself in the local food and wine scene, and embarking on unforgettable hikes through the nation’s extensive network of national parks. Returning to Japan 3 years ago, Lily’s passion for food and cultural connections has inspired her to continue celebrating both Japanese and New Zealander cuisines with her family and friends, including a Christmas “Kiwi” feast, featuring roast ham and BBQ, followed by the traditional Japanese Mochi making on December 30th to welcome the new year. Lily is committed to fostering stronger economic and cultural ties between Australia and Japan, endeavoring to expand brand awareness for Patties Food’s in Japan, including Four and Twenty Pies, whilst forging meaningful relationships through ANZCCJ.

The natural landscapes of Australia and New Zealand experienced during his University days initially inspired Hirofumi Tokunaga, now Head of National Australia Banks Tokyo Branch, to work in a collaborative role between nations. Hirofumi-san takes tremendous pride in NAB’s role in facilitating capital flows between nations, envisioning future opportunities for cooperation in areas such as energy transitions, food security, and investments. Whilst he presently focuses on NAB’s Energy Transition agenda at work, Hirofumi-san enjoys introducing Japanese culture and traditions to Australians and New Zealanders in his free time, and looks forward to participating in Suntory’s annual “Beethoven’s 9th with a Cast of 10,000” concert.

Matt Walker has over 25 years of experience working in Melbourne, London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan with local, regional and global responsibilities. He joined AIG in 2013 as Regional Chief Marketing Officer based in Tokyo. In 2020 he took on the role as Global Head of Customer Experience leading a global team in Customer Centric change management, Value Proposition development and Digital Transformation. With broad consumer and commercial, marketing, branding, CX and behavior change experience, Matt has held various leadership roles with HSBC, WPP, Telstra and other multinationals throughout Asia Pacific. Matt graduated in Marketing at R MIT and studied his Masters in Digital Strategy at Victoria University in Australia. In his spare time, he is also on the Global CMO Advisory Council Board and has developed and lectured Post Grad University Strategic Marketing Courses in Melbourne and Tokyo. He is also a regular judge at the annual Asia Pacific Marketing Awards.

Elizabeth is currently the General Manager, North East Asia for the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) and Minister (Commercial) at the Australian Embassy Japan. At Austrade, she leads a team of 60 staff across four offices to deliver high quality trade and investment services to Australian, Japanese, Korean and Mongolian clients. Elizabeth joined the Australian Trade and Investment Commission in March 2021, and commenced her posting in Tokyo in June 2021. Prior to joining Austrade, Elizabeth Cox was Head of Government Relations, Asia, and Head of Corporate Affairs, Japan at Macquarie Group, where she was responsible for connecting and building relationships with stakeholders and governments across the region. Elizabeth held a number of senior government and corporate affairs roles at Macquarie Group, as Head of Media and External Communications for EMEA, and in Macquarie’s media and public affairs teams in Hong Kong and Australia. Prior to joining Macquarie in 2007, Elizabeth worked for investment and trading house Mitsui & Co., Ltd. and the Japan Local Government Centre, Sydney. Elizabeth graduated from the Australian National University with a Bachelor of Asian Studies (Japanese), holds a Masters in Public Communication from the University of Technology, Sydney, and completed 1-year exchange programs at Gakushuin University and Nagoya University, Japan.

Peter commenced as Minister and Deputy Head of Mission of the Australian Embassy in Japan, in July 2022. He was Australia’s Ambassador to Timor-Leste from 2018 to 2022, during which time Australia finalised its maritime boundary with Timor and was Timor’s key COVID partner. Peter has previously worked as a lead negotiator on Australia’s trade agreements with China, Japan, and Korea; on the security relationship with Japan; as a lead climate change negotiator and as a Senior Civilian Monitor in the Bougainville Peace Monitoring Group. Peter received the Order of Australia Medal for his 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami response work in Minami Sanriku.

Gareth is the Deputy Head of Mission and Consul-General at the New Zealand Embassy in Tokyo. Before coming to Tokyo in 2023, Gareth worked as Lead Adviser Japan and Korea in the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) in Wellington. Gareth joined MFAT in 2007. He has focused on New Zealand’s relationships with Asia for most of his career. In addition to Tokyo he has previously served in Kuala Lumpur and New Delhi. After learning Japanese at school in New Zealand, Gareth spent five years studying in Japan and graduated from the University of Tsukuba. This experience left him with a life-long connection to Japan.

Kylie is New Zealand’s Trade Commissioner to Japan, based in Tokyo with New Zealand Trade & Enterprise. NZTE engages with Japanese business partners & government entities to help New Zealand companies grow bigger, better and faster. Areas of focus for the Tokyo team include food & beverage, renewable energy, tech, manufacturing, health & wellbeing, and ecommerce. Kylie has a long-standing connection to Japan, having attended Miyazaki University on a one-year Monbusho Scholarship. Kylie specialises in leading high-performance teams, including as Chief Operating Officer for New Zealand at Expo Dubai, the New Zealand Investment Attraction Taskforce and New Zealand Major Events. Her private sector experience includes leadership roles at SkyCity Entertainment Group, American ticketing company ETM, the NZ Tourism Industry Association and Millbrook Resort Queenstown.

Melanie Brock is one of Japan’s most respected APAC specialists. She uniquely combines practical commercial business leadership and language skills to consistently deliver on business, regulatory and partnership outcomes for Japanese and foreign corporations both on global and domestic levels. Melanie has an excellent network in Japan’s corporate, political and government sectors – her network of senior Japanese politicians and executives is unique. Melanie has a media prolife regularly featuring in the Nikkei, Australian Financial Review and the ABC giving her an unparalleled media network. Her guest speaking engagements include for business and NGO groups in Japanese and English. Melanie is Chair Emeritus of the Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan having completed over six years as Chair. She is a member of the ‘Australia Japan Business Co-operation Committee’ (AJBCC) and spent five years on the Australia Japan Foundation Board. Other highlights of Melanie Brock’s 20 year plus experience include leading nationwide marketing campaigns, successful bilateral free trade agreement and architect of regional Japan CSR activities. Melanie is currently engaged by several companies as a senior advisor including Tanarra, AIG and Rugby Australia. She has also been a member of the Australia-Japan Research Centre Advisory Board since July 2019 and an Advance Global Ambassador since October 2019. Melanie remains passionate about assisting with reconstruction activities in areas of Japan effected by the earthquake and tsunami in 2011. She was awarded an honorary ambassadorship in several towns in the Tohoku area for her work in Tohoku post 3.11. She is committed to ensuring more young people, Japanese and Australians, become more involved in the Australian Japan relationship. Melanie was born in Albany, Western Australia, is a graduate of University of Western Australia and has a Masters Degree (Conference Interpreting and Translation) from University of Queensland. Melanie is a mum and a grandmother and has lived and worked in Japan for 27 years.