15 Dec AJBCC Future Leaders Program: Outcome
The AJBCC’s Future Leaders Program (FLP) executed a very successful half day roundtable program coinciding with the Joint Business Conference in Tokyo in October. The FLP is a combined program with the AJBCC’s counterpart organisation the JABCC, based in Tokyo, which has its own FLP group. The roundtable and a plenary session marked the culmination of ongoing interaction and preparation between the groups. During the year, before the October conference, both groups have been actively dialoging about the roundtable (which is only open to FLP members) as well as conferring on the theme for the Future Leaders session which was held in the plenary session of the conference (open to all AJBCC/JABCC members).
The roundtable meeting had 22 future leaders from Australia and Japan participate. (The FLP is open to employees of AJBCC and JABCC members companies. Companies nominate an employee to participate in the program. They should have at least 5 years business experience and be under 40 years of age.)
The round table was split into a session featuring an interactive session with Ambassadors Sumio Kusaka and Richard Court AC. This gave the FLP members an opportunity in a small group setting to understand the broad landscape of the bilateral relationship. The Ambassadors also emphasised the significant opportunities which exist and urged the Future Leaders to consider how they themselves, as well as their companies, might capitalise on these.
A counterpoint to the Ambassadors’ session was one focussing on the issues from a business point of view. Yukio Takebe Chairman and CEO, Mitsui Australia and Ms. Sinead Kaufman, Managing Director – Coal, Rio Tinto fielded questions from the group on how the business linkages might develop.
Future Leaders gain access to a number of experienced ‘Japan hand’ Australian business and Government people through the program – and its mentoring activities – but in addition the group has contact with the next generation through their contact with younger Australians participating in the Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan as well as Japanese Government’s equivalent Tobitate! (Leap for Tomorrow) Study Abroad Initiative.
The other major initiative of the FLP at the Tokyo conference was a plenary session which was entirely crafted and operated by them. The session theme was What’s Next? Workplace of 2030, Generation Z and Soft Power with facilitator Ms. Elizabeth Masamune, @Asia Associates Japan with thought leaders Ms. Debra Hazelton (Senior Advisor, Mizuho Financial Group), Mr. Yoshihisa Aono (Founder and CEO, Cybozu Inc,) and Mr. Atsuhiro Murakami (Founder of Tabelog and Director, Kakaku.com). The session was co-chaired by Ms. Kanna Mihara, JABCC FLP and Ms. Natalie McDowell, AJBCC FLP.