Globinar GC Tokyo Business Opportunities in Japan

Global Chamber Tokyo: Business Opportunities in Japan

Thursday, August 3rd, 2023 at 8:00am in Tokyo and across Japan / 7am Singapore

Note: Wednesday, August 2nd at 4pm PT / 5pm MT / 6pm CT / 7pm ET

This is a virtual meetup for members to connect to new clients, resources, and opportunities.

Agenda

1)     Spotlight opportunities - keynote speakers, metro discussions (40 minutes)   

• Catherine O'Connell at Catherine O'Connell Law
• Nicole Spreitzer - Project Manager at Global Chamber
• Shinichiro Suzuki - President at CFE, Inc.
• Miho Tanaka - Startup Visa Lead at Startup City Sapporo
• Dominic Carter - CEO at The Carter Group (CarterJMRN KK, Carter Executive Search KK, Delacon Japan KK)

2)     Roundtable of members topics, possible additional spotlights, discussions (15 minutes)

3)     Wrap-up including next meetings and events (5 minutes) 

Keynote Speaker

Catherine O'Connell at Catherine O'Connell Law. Catherine is an award-winning Tokyo-based senior business lawyer, coach-mentor and law podcaster, with a local and international practice including corporate, commercial and general business legal services, coaching & mentoring legal professionals and executives, and diplomatic level events MC. She is also an experienced Independent board Member, currently sitting on two Stock Exchange listed international companies and in the unlisted space on Chambers of Commerce and Advisory Boards.

With 30+ years of experience gained through senior management appointments as in-house legal counsel with some of Japan's largest companies and working at top-tier law firms, she provides her clients with a range of strategic, governance, innovative, individual and team leadership services.

An active and influential Tokyo based executive, Catherine is a lawpreneur and recognised as a trusted adviser, innovator and influencer in her legal and entrepreneurial fields.  She provides strategic leadership, oversight and advice to companies, high net worth individuals, SMEs, NPO’s and professional bodies as a Chair/Vice-Chair, Non-Executive Board Member, Business owner, and Lawyer.  Catherine brings a highly adaptable and resourceful approach, having supported multi-million dollar companies in Japan, helped overseas companies with first to market investment opportunities in Japan, and protected the reputation of major corporate brands through solid contracts and business terms. She adds value and develops deep relationships based on integrity and was recently awarded the the title of Foreign Lawyer of the Year at the ALB Japan Law Awards 2022, Entrepreneur of the Year in 2020, and identified in the Top 30 People to Watch for the Business of Law in Asia 2022, and 30 Women Legal Innovators in Asia in 2022 by Asia Law Portal.

Catherine is a well-known professional mentor-coach, law podcaster, and diplomatic-level events moderator/MC with a track record in performing as MC for the NZ Prime Minister trade missions to Japan in 2019 and 2022.  She understands the big picture of doing business in Japan and also gets down into the details where it is important, be that through her work as a lawyer, coach-mentor, speaker, MC or podcast host.

She is an inspirational speaker and influencer with a compelling, genuine style. Her local and international subject matter expertise includes business, women’s leadership, Japanese and New Zealand business, board governance, business integrity, diversity and inclusion, executive mentoring & coaching and lawyer wellbeing.

As well as her passion for the law, Catherine holds two Non-Executive board appointments, most recently serving on the Audit and Supervisory Board of Fujitsu Limited (FJTSY: 6702) (a Japanese multinational information and communications technology equipment and services corporation and Japan’s largest IT service provider servicing corporate customers in Japan and internationally), and on the board at CSL Behring KK (ASX: CSL)  (global biotechnology leader, world's largest collector of human plasma, and provider of innovative medicine including a wide range of recombinant and plasma-derived products for treating bleeding disorders, immune deficiencies and chronic inflammatory diseases.) 

Catherine is also President of Women in Law Japan, a group of women lawyers and allies who come to inspire, connect and empower women working in the law. She is also the curious and engaging host of the award-winning legal Podcast “Lawyer on Air” sharing stories of women’s work and lives in the law in Japan and she co-hosts the “Jandals in Japan” podcast about doing business in Japan, bringing The Land of the Long White Cloud (New Zealand) to The Land of the Rising Sun (Japan).

Additional Speakers

Nicole Spreitzer - Project Manager at Global Chamber. Nicole is an International Business Intern at Global Chamber, and a Senior at Arizona State University’s Barrett, the Honors College, studying Global Management with Thunderbird and minoring in Japanese. She has strong leadership experience, cross-cultural communication, and an academic background in global business, financial fundamentals, and marketing. Outside of school, she is passionate about learning new cultures, playing sports, and practicing Japanese.

Miho Tanaka - Startup Visa Lead at Startup City Sapporo. Miho and her team are designing startup visas to bridge governmental initiatives & founders. From incorporation to immigration - she guides leaders through the entire process with practical experience. Startup City Sapporo is an initiative led by Sapporo City, Hokkaido, believing in the pioneering spirit of startup founders, and providing hands-on support for international seed startups to build startup ecosystem together.

Dominic Carter - Representative Director & CEO. Dominic came to Japan from Australia in the late ’90s to launch the Japan business of a global research consultancy. In 2003, he started what is now The Carter Group, a diversified organization serving the needs of international businesses looking to realize ambitious goals in the Japanese market.

Over the last 25 years he has worked with some of the top brands in the world, fueling their journeys to success through the expert application of consumer insights across cultural contexts to drive successful marketing strategy. Dominic is a frequent lecturer, guest speaker, trainer, consultant and commentator on all matters to do with consumer insights methodology, social mega-trends and the contemporary Japanese consumer.

Shinichiro Suzuki - CFE Corporation CEO & Advisory Board Chair. Shinichiro is the advisory board member of GC Tokyo and CEO of CFE Corporation, a global business development firm. Since 1975, CFE Corp has specialized in helping overseas firms and individuals achieve their goals and objectives. Shinichiro has been involved in international business from a young age, as his great grandfather acquired the most advanced stamping technologies at the time, brought it back to Japan, and it is now a critical piece within Nissan Motor Corporation. 

With studying college and working professionally in both America and Japan, he has a lot of experience working with people all around the globe. He is particularly interested in working with US and EU companies and that could benefit from assistance in industrial, construction, and other market segments in Japan. 

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