Welcome New AJBCC Members!

EFA is Australia’s export credit agency. EFA provides commercial finance for export trade and overseas infrastructure development. From small and medium-sized enterprises to large corporates, foreign Governments and infrastructure projects, EFA helps Australian businesses take on the world. In doing so, EFA’s finance supports Australia’s economic security and regional resilience.

EFA administers the Australian Government’s National Interest Account, which currently includes the Critical Minerals Facility, the Defence Export Facility and lending for the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific. EFA also provides support to other Commonwealth entities, including the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation, Housing Australia and the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility.

EFA supports the Australian Government’s broader relationship with Japan through providing support for bilateral trade and investment, including Australian exports to Japan, and cooperation between Australia and Japan more broadly. EFA has a close relationship with its Japanese counterparts JBIC and NEXI, is part of the Trilateral Infrastructure Partnership between Australia, Japan and the United States and a member of the Quad Export Credit Agency Memorandum of Cooperation.

John Hopkins, Managing Director & CEO, will be the AJBCC nominated representative and is based in Sydney, NSW. 

JERA Australia is expanding its energy investment in Australia as part of building energy security for Japan and Asia. Part of JERA Co., Inc. – one of the world’s largest LNG buyers, the company manages significant LNG investments in the Gorgon, Ichthys, Darwin LNG, Barossa and Scarborough Gas projects. It is also evaluating opportunities in hydrogen, ammonia and Carbon Capture and Storage.

Robyn Wheatland, General Counsel and Company Secretary, will be the AJBCC nominated representative and is based in Perth, WA.

Stanwell Corporation is a Queensland Government owned corporation and a major provider of electricity and energy solutions to Queensland, the National Electricity Market and large energy users throughout Australia

It owns and operates two of the most efficient coal-fired power stations in Australia – the Tarong power stations near Kingaroy, and Stanwell Power Station west of Rockhampton.

Through their pipeline of proposed renewable energy projects throughout central and southern Queensland they will reduce its emissions intensity and create future opportunities for its people and communities.

Stanwell is creating a new, lower carbon generation portfolio that’s complemented by energy storage. With their Japanese and Singaporean Consortium Partners they are driving the development of a renewable hydrogen export industry in Central Queensland with the Central Queensland Hydrogen Project (CQ-H2) that plans to produce green hydrogen to be supplied to an ammonia production facility in Gladstone and in later phases will be liquefied and exported to Japan.

Steve Quilter, Executive General Manager Growth and Future Energy, will be the AJBCC nominated representative and is based in Brisbane, QLD.

Tanarra is an alternative asset investment firm which manages A$3.5bn of funds investing in global venture capital, private equity, private credit and PE-style strategies in listed companies. Tanarra’s investors include many of Australia’s largest superannuation funds, family offices and high net worth investors.

Tanarra’s investment portfolio comprises 30 companies around the world, including the UK, USA, Norway, China, Australia and NZ. Tanarra has recently established a joint venture with the University of Melbourne to launch and run Australia’s first-ever university-specific venture capital and IP commercialisation fund. The firm has a Global Advisory Board which includes two senior members of the Japanese business community.

John Wylie AC, Principal and Founder, will be the AJBCC nominated representative and is based in Melbourne, VIC.

Adelaide Consultancy was established last April to support the South Australian government, local enterprises, and related Japanese companies in the resource and energy industries, including the export of liquid hydrogen produced in South Australia to Japan. This support extends especially to the necessary financing which is our expertise. Adelaide Consultancy’s strengths lie in its recognized ability to facilitate Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC)’s loans on behalf of the interests of the South Australian Government and local enterprises (endorsed by JBIC). Additionally, it gathers valuable information from relevant Japanese ministries and corporations to provide necessary advice to the Australian side. In the future, we aim to expand our client base beyond South Australia to other states and also offer advice to Japanese companies contributing to the development of the Australian economy. Through these efforts, we aspire to contribute to the increase of national wealth for both Australia and Japan.

Eibu Suzuki  will be the AJBCC nominated representative and is based in Tokyo, Japan.

Apex is an operational discover and design firm based in Canberra, Australia. We provide discreet data and cyber services, aimed at helping Defence and Industry providers navigate growingly contested spaces. Our team has extensive experience working with operational data across sectors and we leverage our expertise to help develop innovative solutions. We have a proven track record of supporting Australian Defence and NATO data initiatives, supporting the rollout of federated data management and security software applications. Our agile workforce covers numerous disciplines with a wide range of experience delivering outcomes for different clients including Government. Our team is comprised of specialists in ICT development, cyber security, engineering, P3, operational design, and capability implementation and sustainment. Our expertise spans critical areas such as capability development and implementation, strategic campaigning and complex supply management.

We have spent several years building up a relationship within Japan via our partner network and continue to engage with various local Industry providers to investigate in-flight opportunities. This includes some major primes and smaller data and software innovators. We wish to further build on these relationships and continue to build our presence in Japan as a potential data and cyber service provider.

Adam Stevens, Founder, will be the AJBCC nominated representative and is based in Canberra, ACT.

BD Welsh was established in 1992 to assist both local and foreign companies doing business in Australia by providing a full suite of multilingual Back-Office Services.

It is owned and managed by an experienced team of accredited professionals and experts, committed to assisting clients doing business in Australia.

BD Welsh’s value lies in its ability to bridge the professional gap between Australia and foreign companies with experienced long tenured staff.

Their team of English, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese speaking professionals is available to meet their clients’ back-office service needs, so that they can focus on growing their core business.

Brian Welsh, Owner, will be the AJBCC nominated representative and is based in Sydney, NSW.  

Magnetite Mines Ltd is an ASX-listed iron ore company focused on the development of magnetite iron ore resources in the highly-prospective Braemar iron region of South Australia. The Company has a 100% owned Mineral Resource of 6 billion tonnes of iron ore and is developing the Razorback Iron Ore Project, located 240km from Adelaide, to meet accelerating market demand for premium iron ore products created by iron and steel sector decarbonisation, with the potential to produce high-value Direct Reduction (DR) grade concentrates. The Razorback Project is one of only a handful of projects globally that can produce premium-grade magnetite concentrate at scale which has attracted significant interest from Japanese steelmakers and trading groups, reflected in the recently signed Heads of Agreement with JFE Shoji Australia Pty. Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of JFE Shoji Corporation.  Australia and Japan have a long and successful history as trading partners, and it is natural that both countries will continue to work together towards decarbonisation objectives as the world tackles climate change challenges.

Tim Dobson, Chief Executive Officer, will be the AJBCC nominated representative and is based in Sydney, NSW.  

Element Zero – The Green Metal Company: In an era defined by the pressing need for sustainable solutions, the fusion of renewable energy sources and groundbreaking chemistry has ushered in a transformative approach to the production of iron and other vital metals.

This innovative synergy not only promises to revolutionise traditional industrial processes but also represents a significant step towards a zero-carbon future. At Element Zero, we’re reshaping the landscape of metal production and contributing to a more environmentally conscious and future-oriented world.

Element Zero’s processes use renewable energy and unique chemistry to produce iron, nickel, silicon and other future facing metals, with 30-40% less energy per tonne of iron than coal and gas-based processes without the CO2.

Starting with iron ore, we have a commercial path to reduce 7-9% of global CO2 emissions. Our patents cover the overall process and its unique chemistry as well as the complete circuit design for mineral processing incorporating a unique electrolyte.

Michael Masterman, Founder and the Chief Executive, will be the AJBCC nominated representative and is based in Sydney and Perth.

Gadens is a leading Australian law firm with 100 partners and 880 staff across offices located in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. With our history dating back to 1847, our vision is to be a pre-eminent, independent firm renowned for providing outstanding client service, innovative solutions and value. We regularly undertake highly complex and day-to-day transactional legal work for a wide range of clients across multiple industry sectors, including energy, mining and resources. Our clients include major Australian and multinational organisations. We are advisors to more than a quarter of the Top 200 companies listed on the ASX – as well as other corporate and institutional investors.

Michael Joyce, Partner, will be the AJBCC nominated representative and is based in Sydney, NSW.  

Tin Alley Ventures (TAV) is an AUD$125 million fund investing in deep tech start-ups affiliated with the University of Melbourne, Australia. TAV invests from seed to pre-IPO across all sectors, with primary disciplines in life sciences and physical sciences. TAV was created by the University of Melbourne in partnership with Tanarra Capital. Investors include the University of Melbourne, distinguished alumni, family offices, institutional investors, and Breakthrough Victoria. TAV’s evolving investment portfolio includes Psychae Therapeutics (psychiatry indications), Cell Bauhaus (next generation genetic platform), Apromore (process mining platform), and Synchron (brain-computer interface technology).

The TAV investment team is actively engaging with Japan-based investors and looks forward to deepening these relationships for cross-sharing perspectives and future co-investment opportunities.

Dr Andrew McLean, Managing Partner, will be the AJBCC nominated representative and is based in Melbourne, VIC.

Veracity Worldwide is the premier business intelligence and strategic advisory firm specializing in future-facing industries and issues at the forefront of geopolitical competition.

We enable multinationals and investors to navigate political and regulatory risks, operate ethically, and thrive in opaque and complex jurisdictions. We draw on our extensive network of well-placed contacts, an intelligence-led research methodology, and a nearly two-decade track record solving problems at the nexus of business and politics to produce actionable insights for our clients.

Veracity works primarily on matters related to critical minerals, the energy transition, and advanced technologies.

Veracity has offices in New York, London, Tokyo, and Melbourne, and distinguished advisors and close contacts in all major capitals. Our core team brings experience in intelligence, business, diplomacy, law, finance, civil society, and academia. Our Japanese and Australian work has been core to our mission throughout the firm’s history. Our Australian clients include many ASX 200 companies, leading institutional investors, and top national consulting and law firms; our Japanese client base includes major trading houses and a range of other leading corporates on The Nikkei 225.

Benjamin Weiss, CEO, will be the AJBCC nominated representative and is based in Melbourne, VIC.