Tokyo Advisory Board
GC TOKYO ABOUT US
Tokyo Advisory Board
This board consists of insightful business leaders advising Global Chamber® Tokyo in our efforts to support international trade and businesses in the region.
Advisory Board Chair is Shinichiro Suzuki - CEO of CFE Corp, based in Tokyo.
Acting Executive Director is Doug Bruhnke - CEO of Global Chamber, and five-year resident of Tokyo with Dupont Japan.
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.
Catherine O'Connell - Law Firm CEO/Board Member/Podcaster
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).
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Matthew Kyle - Chief Commercial Officer and Co-founder at weconnect
Matthew Kyle who studied Japanese while at Yale has now co-founded two companies in Tokyo in the last 10 years. One is disrupting the traditional tourism industry in Japan by offering experiences that stimulate the appetite and imagination when visiting the land of the rising sun. They partner with travel agents around the world who need fresh ideas and experiences in Japan as a lot of the Japanese providers ideas have gone stale. During COVID Forbes named Arigato Travel a top 10 online experience company globally. Arigato has helped over 30,000 tourists have a great time in Japan. More here: www.arigatotravel.com
Another success for Matthew is weConnect which is disrupting the international expansion service market by allowing companies to control financial health, talent, and compliance consistently country to country with all information reported in English no matter the market. Operating in 86 countries, weConnect clients can feel confident that they are legally entering and operating their business in international markets. If you know any businesses which would like to hire in or enter a foreign country, check out weConnect. More here: www.weconnect.co
Prior to starting weConnect and Arigato Travel Matthew worked for Ernst & Young and Tricor in Tokyo. Prior to his business career, he played professional basketball in Europe, Africa, the NBA with the New York Knicks and in Japan’s top league for the Toyama Grouses.
