The 2021 Board of Governors

Mar 2

Meet those elected to lead the ACCJ as we look beyond the pandemic

The ability of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) to effectively advocate on behalf of the foreign business community is powered by the extraordinarily deep pool of talent among the membership. Each November, the cham- ber holds an election to fill open positions on the board of governors, with members voting on a slate prepared by the Nominations Committee.

The committee, comprising nine members rep- resenting women and men from a range of industries, company sizes, professional experiences, and cultures, identified candidates for the open positions of president, four Tokyo vice presidents, and six Tokyo governors. The Chubu chapter also nominated new candidates for vice president and governor.

The 2021 board of governors took office on January 1, and The ACCJ Journal spoke with many new and incumbent members. We published an extensive interview with President Jenifer Rogers in our January issue, and this month we would like to introduce the rest of the board.

Opportunity and Growth

The new year brings with it many of the challenges of 2020, but also a better understanding of the situation and how to adapt, as well as strong and innovative ideas for smoothing the path ahead.

First-time board member Victor Osumi, who is managing director Japan at Delta Air Lines, Inc. and an ACCJ governor, summed up the challenge and opportunity presented by 2021: “The ACCJ is there to support the members and their business communities as they make adjustments to the new normal. And we will all emerge stronger in the coming years.”

Finsbury Partner and ACCJ Vice President Deborah Hayden said that two of her goals are to “provide a voice for what is a small startup in Japan—fewer than 20 people—on decision-making at all levels within the chamber and to continue the battle to push for greater diversity across corporate Japan at all levels.”

Eli Lilly Japan K.K. President and General Manager Simone Thomsen, who is ACCJ governor-Kansai, said she is eager to “continue to strengthen the dialogue between the United States and Japan—and the two nations’ company leaders and politicians—to address today’s challenges and find solutions. The pandemic has challenged us in many ways, but it has also helped us to challenge our thinking—especially when it comes to workstyle and digitization. So let’s continue the exchange and learn from each other.”

James Feliciano, who is president of AbbVie Japan and an ACCJ governor, also sees opportunity in the changes brought on by the pandemic. “I believe that 2021 is the year for executing on a lot of the great work that has been done over the past two years with our pillars. The time is now for strong advocacy to drive meaningful change to the benefit of Japanese society and the broader business environment.”

Engage and Nurture

Noting that member engagement is at the heart of the ACCJ, Governor Harry Hill, who is president and chief executive officer of Better-U, Inc., said: “Many of us are coping with Covid-19 and are figuring out how to maintain or restore existing business. The opportunity to network and expand business horizons has been severely curtailed. I believe the ability to meet and learn from a diverse group of businesspeople is one of the core benefits of the ACCJ, so restoring and creating new networking and information sharing opportunities—both online and in-person—must be our focus for 2021.”

Engaging young professionals is also a priority. ACCJ Governor and Caterpillar Director of Global Government and Corporate Affairs Japan Megumi Tsukamoto said, “Under Jenifer’s leadership, I would like to contribute to energize and activate the ACCJ further by incorporating new ideas and thoughts from younger leaders.”

Yoshitaka Sugihara, director and head of public policy Japan at Netflix G.K. and an ACCJ vice president, echoed this goal. He noted that the reorganization of the Digital Economy Committee into four committees “has brought opportunities to recruit a new generation of leaders. My priority is how to support those new leaders and make their committees more viable.”

Finally, Vice President-Chubu Robert Roche looked back at the chamber’s history as a strength for the future. “While many things have changed since my initial involvement with the ACCJ, one thing that hasn’t changed is the entrepreneurial spirit and the civic pride of our members. I hope we can build on this great tradition and create networking and business opportunities for our members that will lead to their success and the continued success of the organization.”