NEW BEGINNINGS: AUSTRALIA-JAPAN BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP ON THE GLOBAL STAGE

Welcome

Our 61st annual Joint Business Conference with the JABCC will be held in Nagoya, one of Japan's key centres of advanced manufacturing.

The Conference theme, New Beginnings – the Australia-Japan Business Partnership on the Global Stage expands on the celebration of our landmark 60th conference in Melbourne, which heralded a new phase in the journey of the AJBCC/JABCC partnership.

Against a backdrop of heightened international uncertainty and complexity, and with voting in the US Presidential Election imminent, geopolitics will be at the centre of discussion. How can Australian and Japanese businesses use their decades-long partnership, built on shared values, interests and mutual trust, to anchor stability in an unpredictable and challenging regional and global environment? What new business opportunities can cooperation drive; and how can we work together to mitigate the risks?

Join us as we explore these questions, ranging through their implications in the key areas of energy transition, innovation, AI and digitisation, governance and more – and take advantage of an unparalleled Australia-Japan business networking opportunity, both at the main conference and through more specialised side events.

Program

October 21, 2024
October 22, 2024
October 23, 2024
October 24, 2024
October 25, 2024

October 21, 2024

Conference - Morning Program

No Scheduled items for this day

Conference - Afternoon Program

No Scheduled items for this day

Side Events

18:30 - 20:30

Welcome to Japan Networking Reception hosted by ANZCCJ x JABCC x AJBCC

Time: 18:30–20:30
Venue: Trunk Hotel, 1F Onden Room, 5 Chome-31 Jingumae, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0001

To learn more, visit: https://anzccj.glueup.com/event/anzccj-x-jabcc-x-ajbcc-welcome-to-japan-networking-event-116513/

* Indicates events that partners can participate in. There will also be a full-day Partners' Program on Thursday, 24 October.

Speakers

Aoi Ariake

Corporate Sports Management Office at Fujitsu Ltd

Eriko Asai

Co-Founder and Partner of Trinity Indo-Pacific Partners Pte Ltd

Richard Bolt

Principal at Nous Group

Michaela Browning

CEO APAC of Brunswick Group

Amanda Copping

Chief Investment Officer at Export Finance Australia

Alex Dorsch

Chief Executive Officer at Chalice Mining Limited

Dr Michael Easson AM

Founder of EG Fund Management

Tolga Egrilmezer

Head of Sales & Marketing, Commercial at Rio Tinto

Murray Ellen

Founder, Executive Chairman of PT Blink

Dr Bronwyn Evans AM

Chair at Building 4.0 CRC

Ferdinand "Perry" Ferrer

Executive Vice President at Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Masayoshi Fujimoto

Chairman & CEO of Sojitz Corporation

Yuki Ghantous

Japan Country President at BHP

Nancy Gordon

Executive Director and Commissioner General of Australia at Osaka Expo Taskforce

Peter Grey

President at Australia Japan Business Co-operation Committee

Wenda Gumulya

Director of Deloitte

Yuko Hamada

Senior Manager at PwC Australia

Kingo Hayashi

President and Director of Chubu Electric Power

Justin Hayhurst

Australian Ambassador to Japan at Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Michiaki Hirose

Chairman at Japan Australia Business Cooperation Committee

Seiji Izumisawa

President and CEO of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

Takuto Karube

Commercial Manager, Aluminium at Rio Tinto Japan Limited

Tats Kato

Head of Project Origination (ESG, Decarbonization, Energy Transition) at Sojitz Australia Limited

The Hon. Madeleine King MP

Minister for Resources and Minister for Northern Australia at https://www.minister.industry.gov.au/ministers/king

Dr John Kunkel

Senior Economics Adviser at United States Studies Centre

Yohanes Lukiman

Chair of the Permanent Committee for Asia Pacific at Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Kevin Maloney

Chairman & Director of Gullivers Sport Travel

Naoko Munakata

Professor, Graduate School of Public Diplomacy at University of Tokyo

Peter Murphy

General Manager, NSW Positive Rugby Foundation at NSW Rugby and Super Rugby Waratahs

Yoji Muto

Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)

Kenji Nakagawa

Director of AirMobility Business Development Department at SkyDrive

Hideaki Ohmura

Governor at Aichi Prefecture

Akira Okada

Senior Vice President of R&D, Head of NTT Science and Core Technology Laboratory Group at NTT

Sean Pitt

Vice President Marketing, Trading & Shipping at Santos Limited

Raymond Roche

Manager, Strategy and Corporate Affairs at Mitsui & Co. (Australia) Ltd.

Yasuko Sasaki

President at Ochanomizu University

Dr Paul Sheard

Author, Economist

Yukimi Shimura

Managing Director, Corporate Engagement of MUFG Bank

Atsushi Suzuki

Executive Officer, General Manager - Chubu Branch at Marubeni Corporation

Kazuhiro Suzuki

Ambassador at Embassy of Japan

Shingo Ueno

President and CEO of Sumitomo Corporation

Glenn Williams

CEO of Baseball Australia

Ian Williams

Chair at NEX Building Group

Yvonne Yap

Senior Associate at Norton Rose Fulbright

Mohita Zaheed

First Assistant Secretary at Department of the Treasury

Eriko is the Co-Founder and Partner of Trintiy Indo-Pacific Partners, a strategic advisory company bridging businesses across Australia, India, and Japan. Brings 30 years of experience leading organizations across multiple industries, including Sony, Microsoft and GE. Most recently, she was the President of GE Japan, navigating through challenging geopolitical environment, managing business during the pandemic and supporting the company spin off into three independent companies.

Additionally, Eriko has been active in the industry serving as the Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce, Principal of U.S.-Japan Business Council, member of the Cabinet Office Foreign Investment Working Group, and advisor to Japan External Trade Organization.

Eriko graduated with Bachelor of Law and Political Science from Keio University and has also completed Comparative International Studies at the University of London. Eriko was born in the UK and has lived in 5 countries. Passionate and devoted to diversity and lifting women in society.

Richard Bolt is a Principal of Nous Group, through which he is a member of the Net Zero Australia (NZAu) Steering Committee. NZAu is a partnership of the universities of Melbourne, Queensland and Princeton with Nous, and has published Australia's most rigorous, granular and transparent analysis of pathways to net zero. 

NZAu modelled the decarbonisation of Australia's energy exports as well as its domestic emissions, and considered how export decarbonisation can be mobilised in collaboration with our trading partners. 

Richard is also independent Chair of a taskforce to commercialise clean hydrogen exports from Victoria to Japan, having chaired the Steering Committee which reached agreement on the successful $500m pilot project.

Richard is also Chairman of Hydro Tasmania (which supplies renewable electricity to export commodity producers amongst other users) and a member of the Climate Change Authority. Until recently he advised the NSW government on the design and delivery of its renewable energy rollout (the 'Roadmap').

Richard previously led three Victorian government departments over twelve years, covering the portfolios of energy and resources, primary industries, education and training, economic development, employment and transport. He has degrees in electrical engineering and public policy and management. The clean energy transition is the longest thread through his career.

Richard has been awarded a Public Service Medal and several fellowships. He is an electrical engineering graduate and has a masters degree in public policy and management.

Michaela has served as CEO for Asia Pacific at Brunswick Group since April 2024, following a highly accomplished career in both the private and public sectors.

Previously, Michaela was Vice President and the Regional Head of Government and Public Policy for Asia Pacific at Google, where she oversaw the company’s interactions with governments, institutional and corporate policy partners and civil society stakeholders in the region. In this role she was also on the Asia Pacific Operations, Global Affairs and Risk leadership committees.

Prior to this, Michaela held a range of senior positions in the Australian government, including as a senior diplomat of over 27 years with a focus on Asia, trade and security, including a number of senior roles responsible for strengthening Australia’s relationship with Japan.

She was the inaugural CEO of the National Foundation for Australia China Relations in 2020. She served as Australia’s Consul General to Hong Kong and Macau from 2017 to 2020, and on diplomatic missions in Singapore and Thailand. She also served as senior international adviser to Australian foreign and defence ministers.

Michaela has held senior trade and economic roles including leading global investment promotion activities, and leading Australia’s established markets operations for Australia’s trade and investment commission. She previously led Australia’s development assistance program for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was a trade negotiator to the WTO and for Australia’s free trade agreements with the US and Singapore. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a member of the board of CPA Australia, an Ambassador for the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation, and advisory committee roles in education and humanitarian disaster response organisations.

She has a Bachelor of Economics and Masters in Foreign Affairs and Trade from Monash University, with a focus on Japan and Japanese language.

Amanda was appointed Chief Investment Officer of Export Finance Australia in August 2023.

In this role, her team is responsible for providing financial support to larger exporters across a broad range of industries, Australian businesses operating and investing internationally, as well as critical minerals and overseas infrastructure projects.

Amanda brings broad expertise in managing complex transactions across the public and private sectors.

Amanda has more than 25 years' experience in banking and finance, most recently as CEO and Chief Investment Officer at the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility, a financier and impact investor in the energy, transport, resources, agriculture and social infrastructure sectors. Amanda’s previous experience includes roles at the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, the Royal Bank of Scotland, ABN AMRO and Macquarie Bank.

Amanda has a strong track record of leading multi-disciplinary teams to finance and support businesses across industries.

Amanda holds a Bachelor of Economics from UNSW, an MBA from the AGSM and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Alex has led Chalice through an exceptional and transformational growth period following the Gonneville discovery. Alex was recognised as the ‘Emerging Leader of the Year’ by MiningNews and ‘CEO of the Year’ by Kitco in 2020. He also recieved the Yound Mining Professionals ‘Peter Munk Award’ in 2022. Alex has diverse experience in leadership in roles across the resources sector, as a management consultant, engineer, project manager and corporate advisor. Prior roles included a Specialist Consultant with McKinsey & Company. He commenced his engineering career with resources giant BHP, and then spent over six years as an engineer in oil and gas exploration. He is currently a Non-Executive Director for Falcon Metals Limited (ASX:FAL).

Michael Easson is co-founder of Executive Chair of EG Funds Management (EG), managing $5.1B of investments in Australian real estate, from Australian and international institutions, including from Japan. An associated company, EGX, invests in and curates five start-up businesses in technology and venture businesses. EG opened its Japan office in 2022.

Michael has PhDs from the University of Melbourne and the Australia Defence Force Academy, UNSW, and a MSc from the University of Oxford.

In an earlier career, 30-years ago, he was Vice President of the ACTU and Secretary of the Labor Council of NSW. Back in the early 1990s, he was a board member of The Australia-Japan Foundation and published several articles in books comparing Australian and Japanese industrial relations in the decades after the oil shocks of the mid-1970s. In 2023, he published Whitlam’s Foreign Policy, Connor Court.

Tolga Egrilmezer is Group Head of Sales & Marketing at Rio Tinto. He is accountable for the company’s revenue line, sales, marketing across all commodities including iron ore, aluminium, copper, minerals, and battery materials.
Throughout his career, Tolga has accumulated extensive global executive leadership experience across various areas, including Corporate Strategy, Business Development, Sales, Marketing, Operations as well as Procurement and Research & Development.
Prior to joining Rio Tinto, Tolga was with a leading Aluminium company, where he assumed positions as a senior leader and member of the executive management team in Sweden and Norway working with global OEMs in the automotive and electronics sectors. Tolga also has deep experience working in Asia, having been based in Asia where he oversaw operations of large downstream assets. He possesses a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Business Administration as well as a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA).

Murray Ellen is a global expert in post-tensioned steel technology and has conceived, designed and implemented projects in countries including Australia, China, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan and Dubai.

Murray’s broad experience includes full technical implementation, construction and development responsibility for projects which he has delivered with excellence around the world. His innovative steel design technology and construction methodologies for large-spanned structures have received multiple awards and are unique in the global steel spectrum.

Today Murray empowers and inspires a team to build on his more-than 35-year legacy, IP portfolio and original vision to deliver the built environment FASTER, SAFER, BETTER and with LESS WASTE through technology.

Murray also currently serves as a Governor of Sydney University’s Warren Centre for Advanced Engineering and is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.

Dr Bronwyn Evans AM is the Chair of Building 4.0 CRC.

In addition to this position, Bronwyn is on the board of advanced manufacturing companies GME, CEA Technologies and EBR Systems Ltd and engineering consulting firm ACOR Consultants. Most recently she was the CEO of Engineers Australia and has been the CEO of Standards Australia and Vice President (Finance) of the International Standards Organisation (ISO). Dr Evans has over 40 years’ experience in various engineering roles, including at Cochlear and GE Healthcare. She has been recognised as one of Australia’s 100 most influential engineers and recognised as a 100 Women of Influence, and more recently, she was awarded an Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday 2021 Honours List for her significant service to engineering, to standards, and to medical technology.

Masayoshi Fujimoto is Representative Director, Chairman and CEO of Sojitz Corporation, a trading and investment company which has approximately 400 subsidiaries and affiliates located in Japan and throughout the world, engaging in wide-ranging general trading company operations, in addition to providing services and investing in businesses.
Fujimoto was born in Fukuoka Prefecture, 1958. After graduating from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law, he joined Nissho Iwai Corporation (now Sojitz Corporation) in 1981. After a long career in the automotive field, he was stationed in the U.S. and Poland prior to transferring to Venezuela, where he became president of MMC Automotriz S.A.. He later served as Regional General Manager, Machinery Division Americas, and returned to Tokyo to serve as Senior Managing Executive Officer, President & CEO, before assuming his current position in April 2024. Fujimoto enjoys playing golf and his motto is “Do your best and leave the rest to fate”

Yuki joined BHP in early 2018 and led various Marketing improvement and Commercial transformation initiatives prior to taking up her current role as BHP's Japan Country President in July 2020. Yuki also sits on BHP's Sales and Marketing Leadership Team.

Yuki has almost 20 years of experience in the global resources industry and government sector. She has worked for Rio Tinto in its Corporate Strategy / Commercial function. Before entering into the mining and resources sector, Yuki has worked for the West Australian State Government as Market Manager for Japan, Korea and South East Asia in Perth, Western Australia to facilitate investment and trade in the region.

When Yuki was based in Singapore, she represented BHP on the Women in Mining and Resources (WIMAR) Singapore Board as the Vice President until she relocated to Japan for her current role in late 2020.

Yuki grew up in Japan and she has lived and worked in Japan, Australia and Singapore to date. She has graduated from Kwansei Gakuin University in Japan and has an MBA from Curtin University, Western Australia.

Ms Gordon is a senior career officer in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She is currently Assistant Secretary, Osaka Expo Task Force and the Commissioner General for Australia to World Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai. She has also served as Assistant Secretary Northeast Asia Branch and Assistant Secretary, China Economic and Engagement Branch. In Canberra, she has held positions in the North Asia Division, the Parliamentary and Media Branch, the Office of Trade Negotiations, the Trade and Economic Division and the International Security Division.

Overseas, Ms Gordon has served as Australia's first Consul General to Chengdu, China (2013 - 2017); Counsellor, Tokyo (2008 - 2011); Second Secretary, Beijing (2000- 2001), and Vice Consul, Shanghai (1999- 2000).

Ms Gordon holds a Bachelor of Arts, Asian Studies (Honours) and Master of Applied Japanese from Sydney University, and a Masters in Foreign Affairs and Trade from Monash University. Ms Gordon speaks Japanese and Mandarin.

Peter was appointed President of the AJBCC in October 2021. He is also the Independent Chairman of the Board of MLC Life Insurance, a Director of the European Australian Business Council (EABC) and a member of the Asia Society Advisory Council. He was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun with gold and silver stars by the Government of Japan in 2017.

グレイ・ピーター氏
豪日経済委員会 (AJBCC) 委員長
MLC Life Insuranceの独立非業務執行会長。グレイ氏は2021年10月にAJBCCの委員長に任命されました。MLC生命保険の取締役会の独立会長及び欧州オーストラリアビジネス協議会（EABC）の理事であり、アジア協会諮問委員会のメンバーでもあります。2017年に日本政府から旭日章を授与されました。

Ambassador Hayhurst is Australia’s Ambassador to Japan and took up the appointment in January 2023. He is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was most recently Deputy Secretary of the Geostrategic Group and Australia’s Senior Quad Official. Previously, Ambassador Hayhurst was First Assistant Secretary International in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, First Assistant Secretary of the Foreign Policy White Paper Taskforce from 2016 to 2017, and served as Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy, Beijing, from 2012 to 2016.

From 2007 to 2009 he served as Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs on North Asia, South Asia, Afghanistan, Iraq and counter-terrorism. Mr. Hayhurst worked as a Senior Analyst at the Office of National Assessments from 2004 to 2007. He was also Second Secretary at the Australian Embassy, Manila, from 2001 to 2004.

Ambassador Hayhurst joined DFAT in 1999. He has a First Class Honours Degree in History from the University of Melbourne and a Graduate Diploma of Foreign Affairs and Trade from Monash University.

Tats Kato is Head of Project Origination (ESG, Decarbonization and Energy Transition) | Managing Director Department at Sojitz, which is one of the seven largest Japanese investment and trading companies (Sogo Shosha) listed on Tokyo Stock Exchange, comprising of over 430 group companies, employing approximately 23,000 and operating in over 50 countries for more than 160 years.
Based in Sydney, Tats oversees new business developments and investments in Renewable Energy Zones (REZs), solar, wind, Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), energy efficiency / management, Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) / Safeguard Mechanism Credits (SMCs), hydrogen/ammonia/methanol, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) / Renewable Diesel (RD), Renewable Natural Gas (RNG), Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS), Waste-to-Energy (WtE), circular economy, helathcare / railway / highway / Social and Affordable Housing Public-Private Partnership (PPP), infrastructure and critical minerals projects across Australia.
Tats has been also an AJBCC- JABCC Future Leader since 2018, promoting business co-operation opportunities for the sustainable growth of Australia and Japan.

Dr John Kunkel is the Senior Economics Adviser at the United States Studies Centre in Sydney and Principal of EconSec Consulting. He has been a senior adviser to Australian governments, an industry executive and a consultant to CEOs, major corporates and international institutions.

From August 2018 to May 2022, John was Chief of Staff to the Hon. Scott Morrison, Australia’s 30th Prime Minister. Prior to joining the office of Scott Morrison as Chief of Staff in the Treasurer’s office in June 2018, John was head of Government Relations, Australia at Rio Tinto. Prior roles have included Deputy CEO of the Minerals Council of Australia and speech writer to Australia’s second longest serving Prime Minister, the Hon. John Howard.

John has a PhD in economics from the Australian National University. His dissertation has been published as Demanding Results: American trade policy towards Japan (Routledge UK).

Mr Maloney is the founder and current chairman of the Tulla Group and brings a wealth of experience from the resources and finance industries. The Tulla Group is the owner of Gullivers Sport Travel.

Kevin was born in the western suburbs of Sydney in the late 1940s. At just 15 years old, he began his career at ANZ Bank, where he built a significant background in international banking, finance and resources. 

He progressed quickly at ANZ, becoming the youngest person in the bank's history to be appointed to a management role at age 23. After a 20-year career at ANZ, Maloney went on to become a founding Executive Director and inaugural Chief Executive of Elders Resources Finance in 1986.

In the early 1990s, he established Tulla Group, a private investment vehicle for various ventures including jewellery, retail apparel, copper mining, building materials, and travel.

A brief overview of his business ventures is as follows.

In 1996, Mr Maloney established The MAC Services Group and served as its Executive Chairman. This company was previously the largest publicly listed provider of remote area mining accommodation and services in Australia until it was acquired by a US based entity listed on the NYSE in late 2010.

Took MAC Services Group public in 2007, expanding it further before its eventual sale in 2010.

Established Segenhoe Stud, a premier thoroughbred breeding operation.

In 2021, purchased Gullivers Sport Travel.

Served as the Chairman & Director of several Australian stock exchange listed Companies;

Executive Chairman of Tulla Group

Executive Chairman of Segenhoe Group

Executive Chairman of Stable Wizard

Executive Chairman of Locale Travel

Chairman of THEMAC Resources Group Limited (Toronto Stock Exchange listed)

Director on the Board of Pantoro Ltd (Australian Stock Exchange Listed)

Kevin Maloney is based in Sydney, NSW

Currently – General Manager, NSW Positive Rugby Foundation, the official charity and social impact program of NSW Rugby.

Peter is a result driven person utilising the skills he has acquired through his participation in elite level sport combined with his professional experience in high performing management positions.

Peter has had a celebrated sporting career as an Olympic Rower 1992 & 1996 Olympics and high-performance manager Fiji Rugby where he was instrumental in taking the Flying Fijians to the Quarter Finals at the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

Peter now runs the NSW Positive Rugby Foundation, a foundation that uses Rugby as a vehicle to address social issues in communities, changing lives and utilises Rugby’s unique values.

Peter is motivated by using his vast experiences, from being an Olympian to a high-performance manager, to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. His passion lies in applying the life lessons and skills he has gained as an athlete, sports administrator, manager, leader, and coach to positively impact those around him.

Rowing Career
• AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIAN
Rowing 1992 & 1996 Olympics
• AUSTRALIAN ROWING TEAM MEMBER
Junior Team – 1985
Senior Team - 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996

Career Highlights
• General Manager, NSW Positive Rugby Foundation (2021 – present)
• Executive Director, The Australian Rugby Foundation (2017 – 2020)
• Executive Director, Shore Foundation – (2008 – 2017)
• High Performance Manager – Fiji Rugby Union (2006 – 2008)
• High Performance Consultant – Lane 4 (2005)
• Professional Rowing Coach – Sydney Rowing Club (2004 – 2005)
• Business Development Manager – WaterRower Inc (2001 – 2004)
• Project Manager, East Asian Games – AOC (2000 – 2001)
• Assistant Manager, Olympic Job Opportunities Program (1997 – 2000)

AOC & EY initiative assisting Olympic caliber athletes and Olympians in career path employment

Akira Okada, Ph.D., is a Senior Vice President of R&D, Head of NTT Science and Core Technology Laboratory Group, responsible for leading R&D of cutting-edge technologies, including information processing and communication devices and components, sustainable technologies, human science and biotechnology, and basic research. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics in 1988 and 1990 and Ph.D. in Materials Science in 1993, all from Keio University. Since joining NTT in 1993, he has engaged in research on optical devices and optical subsystems for optical communication and information processing systems. He also has extensive experience in human resource development and research planning. From October 1997 to October 1998, he was a visiting scholar at Stanford University.

Dr. Paul Sheard, a noted Australian American economist based in New York, is the author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling business book, The Power of Money: How Governments and Banks Create Money and Help Us All Prosper (Matt Holt Books).

Most recently Research Fellow and M-RCBG Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School and before that Vice Chairman of S&P Global, Sheard held global chief economist positions at Standard & Poor’s, Nomura Securities, and Lehman Brothers, faculty positions at Osaka University and the Australian National University, and visiting positions at Stanford University and the Bank of Japan. He has been a member of several World Economic Forum expert councils and was appointed by two prime ministers to serve on advisory committees of the Japanese Government. An expert on Japanese corporate governance, he was a non-executive director of ORIX Corporation.

A member of the Bretton Woods Committee, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Economic Club of New York, and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, Sheard sits on the board of the Foreign Policy Association and the advisory board of the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College. Sheard’s 1997 book in Japanese, The Crisis of Main Bank Capitalism, won the prestigious Suntory-Gakugei Prize, and was followed in 2000 by another book in Japanese, Mega Corporate Restructuring. Sheard has a Master of Economics and PhD from the ANU, and an honorary Doctor of Laws from his alma mater, Monash University.

Joined at MUFG Bank from April 2020, Yukimi is taking a role as an inhouse consultant for MUFG Bank's sustainability initiatives, including financing innovative projects such as hydrogen, ammonia, CCUS, floating offshore wind and circular economy, carbon credit consideration and non-financial disclosure issues to assist customers in their journey to carbon neutrality. Over 15 years of experiences as a consultant for energy, climate change and environmental issues and recently on sustainability matters, Yukimi had worked with various energy saving auditing and project developments contributing to GHG emissions reduction and sequestration with/without carbon credit generation benefits. Prior to joining MUFG Bank, she worked for Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, the
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies and International Energy Agency. She is also serving as members to some of the Japanese government committees.

Joined the Marubeni Corporation in 1987. He specializes in the automotive, finance, and mobility fields. He has been stationed overseas for a total of 18 years in Belgium, Sweden, the United States, and India. In this process, he has a wealth of experience in overseas M&A and new business launches. In 2019, he was appointed General Manager of Southwest Asia and President of Marubeni India Company in New Delhi. Since 2022, he has been the president of the Chubu branch. Influenced by India's start ecosystem, Innovation Lab Agora was opened in September 2023 as a base for new business creation and co-creation. Currently, the total number of members exceeds 1,000, and business among members is continuously being born. At the same time, as a visiting professor at Nagoya University, he supports university-launched ventures and advises local startup Kurofune.

Mr. Shingo Ueno has served as Representative Director, President and CEO of Sumitomo Corporation (SC) since April 2024. Before his appointment as CEO of SC, he led and supervised the Mineral Resources, Energy, Chemical & Electronics Business Unit and the Metal Products Business Unit, as well as the Energy Innovation Initiative (EII) from its establishment in 2021. EII focuses on achieving a carbon-neutral society by building a decarbonized and recycling-based energy system.

He began his career in Tubular Products Import and Export Dept. No. 1 at SC in 1982 after graduating from Keio University. For over 30 years, he has significantly contributed to the steel products business, with a focus on oil and gas industries.

His career reflects increasing responsibilities and 16 years of global assignments at various SC entities, including Sumitomo Corporation Iran Ltd., Sumitomo Corporation of Europe (SCEU) London office and Sumitomo Corporation of Americas (SCOA) Houston office, where he ran the steel business, prior to serving as SCOA’s President & CEO at its New York head office and General Manager for the Americas from 2017 to 2019.

Throughout his four decades of the career at SC, Shingo has honed his management skills and built an extensive global network across diverse fields.

Additionally, he has served as Chair of the Japan-Vietnam Economic Committee, Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) and Vice Chairman of the Japan Foreign Trade Council, Inc. since May 2024. He is married, lives in Tokyo, and has two grown children and three grandchildren. In his spare time, he enjoys playing golf, traveling to local towns in Japan, and watching English Premier League football.

Glenn Williams OLY is a former professional baseball player and a two-time Olympian, representing Australia in baseball and earning a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. After a distinguished playing career, Williams transitioned into leadership roles within the sport, notably as General Manager of High Performance and now CEO of Baseball Australia.

His strong connections in Japan, cultivated through collaborations with Nippon Professional Baseball and the city of Fuchu, have been instrumental in fostering international partnerships that benefit both Japanese and Australian baseball.

Williams has also pursued advanced education, completing programs at the Melbourne Business School, the Australian Graduate School of Management at UNSW Business School, and Harvard Business School, further enriching his leadership and strategic expertise in global sports management.

Mohita Zaheed is the First Assistant Secretary of the National Interest Framework Division within the Macroeconomic Group of Treasury.

The National Interest Framework Division has the responsibility for implementing the Australian Government’s Future Made in Australia agenda targeted at addressing the major structural and strategic challenges that the Australian economy faces. The National Interest Framework seeks to support Government’s identification of priority industries that will support Australia’s economic resilience and security and the global net zero transformation. Mohita is also currently leading the development of the Australian Government's proposals to establish a new Front Door to attract and facilitate investments in major transformational projects within Australia.

Prior to her current role Mohita has led Treasury’s Labour Market, Environment, Industry and Infrastructure Division and the Financial System Division. Mohita has previously worked across a range of public and private sector entities in financial services regulation and consulting in Australia and the United Kingdom.

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Speaker

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The various elements of the conference will be held across three venues: The Nagoya Kanko Hotel, the Hilton Nagoya Hotel and the Nagoya Tokyu Hotel. Please refer to the program for full venue details.

Australia Japan Business Co-operation Committee

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