Ian has been working and living in Japan for over 13 years and aside from his various other sporting appointments during his tenure in Japan, he is currently a Senior Partner at Atsumi & Sakai, heading their Sports, Media & Entertainment law practice group. Ian was deeply involved in various legal aspects for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympic Games and the Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan and was the Managing Director for World Rugby’s Japanese entity for over 7 years. Ian is also a leading spokesperson in the area of Sports Governance and Integrity in sport and won the award in 2021 as Foreigner Lawyer of the Year in Japan. Ian has been an active participant of the Chamber, in particular supporting the activities as Co-Chairmen of the Sport for Business committee and related events. He is committed to increasing the Australian/New Zealand business and commercial relationships through sport and raising the Chamber’s presence in what is a very important time for Australia, NZ and Japanese business.

Matt Walker has over 25 years of experience working in Melbourne, London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan with local, regional and global responsibilities. He joined AIG in 2013 as Regional Chief Marketing Officer based in Tokyo. In 2020 he took on the role as Global Head of Customer Experience leading a global team in Customer Centric change management, Value Proposition development and Digital Transformation. With broad consumer and commercial, marketing, branding, CX and behavior change experience, Matt has held various leadership roles with HSBC, WPP, Telstra and other multinationals throughout Asia Pacific. Matt graduated in Marketing at R MIT and studied his Masters in Digital Strategy at Victoria University in Australia. In his spare time, he is also on the Global CMO Advisory Council Board and has developed and lectured Post Grad University Strategic Marketing Courses in Melbourne and Tokyo. He is also a regular judge at the annual Asia Pacific Marketing Awards.

Introducing Byron Frost, boasting a 24-year legacy of cultivating relationships between Japan and Australia. As a Counsel with Baker & McKenzie’s Tokyo office, Byron plays a crucial role in M&A transactions across the technology, consumer, and tourism industries. With dedication to boosting the value of Chamber memberships, Byron advocates for bringing people together, recently moderating the Chamber’s Basketball Australia event on behalf of the Sports for Business Committee. Residing in Japan for now 8-years, Byron maintains a plethora of long-standing Japanese friendships, dating back to his teenage years and beyond.