Dr. Lena Okajima (Founder and CEO of ALE Co., Ltd)

Dr. Lena Okajima

Founder and CEO of ALE Co., Ltd

Dr. Lena Okajima is the founder and CEO of ALE, which she founded in 2011. Prior to ALE, Lena worked in bond investment and private equity at Goldman Sachs Japan. Before Goldman Sachs Japan, she established a science and entertainment company while attending the University of Tokyo and served as its CEO. Lena holds a Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Tokyo and was born in Tottori city, Tottori prefecture.

Curiosity other than space & science: Observing nature

Melissa Kuwahara (GM, Global Talent Acquisition at Rakuten)

Melissa Kuwahara

GM, Global Talent Acquisition at Rakuten

Melissa has spent the last 20 years in increasingly senior roles across consulting and recruiting, mostly focused in the consumer technology space. She has lived and worked in Australia, United States, India and Japan. Currently she is the GM of Global Talent Acquisition at Rakuten, a 1.7 trillion yen internet services company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Previously she was the Head of Recruiting for Google Japan, with geographic oversight Japan & Korea and functional responsibility for multiple business at the APAC level. Melissa speaks fluent Japanese, is passionate about cooking and spending time with her daughter.

Amy Fischer (Regulatory Compliance Officer at Aesop)

Amy Fischer

Regulatory Compliance Officer at Aesop

After graduating with a Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science from Monash University, Amy began working in the Regulatory Affairs team at Aesop’s Head Office in Melbourne. In 2018, she had the opportunity to transfer to Aesop’s Tokyo office to oversee the regulatory function in North Asia, looking after Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Amy enjoys spending time in nature, cooking for friends, and giving back to the community where she can.

Gerard Adams (General Manager, Corporate Strategy at Kyowa Hakko Bio)

Gerard Adams

General Manager, Corporate Strategy at Kyowa Hakko Bio

Gerard is General Manager of Corporate Strategy at Kyowa Hakko Bio and is currently serving as a member of the Executive Council of the ANZCCJ. This spring, Gerard will move to the US to take up the position of President & CEO of Kyowa Hakko USA. Gerard previously worked in the US at Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast and prior to that in the Corporate Strategy team of Kirin Holdings in Tokyo. Gerard is happily married with two daughters.

Kanna Mihara (Vice President at Macquarie Capital Securities (Japan) Limited)

Kanna Mihara

Vice President at Macquarie Capital Securities (Japan) Limited