The AJBCC Future Leaders recently gathered for an insightful Fireside Chat with Natsuko Ogawa, Partner at Ashurst and Chair of the Australia-Japan Foundation (AJF).
As the leader of Ashurst’s Japan practice in Australia, Natsuko regularly acts for major Japanese corporations in complex mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and foreign investment matters across sectors including real estate, renewable energy, logistics, financial services, infrastructure, food and beverage, agriculture, retail and healthcare. She also regularly provides training to Boards and executives of Australian subsidiaries of Japanese companies on cultural aspects of corporate governance. Through her professional and life experiences as a Japanese Australian, Natsuko brings a wealth of unique experience to the bilateral business community.
During the intimate session, Natsuko shared key milestones and personal philosophies from her 30-year career journey.
Key takeaways from the discussion
- Forging a cross-cultural path: Born to Japanese parents and raised in Western Australia, Natsuko detailed how her exposure to Perth’s Japanese business community from a young age (and her father’s role as one of the first teachers of Japanese in Western Australia) inspired her cross-border legal career, with strategic moves as a junior lawyer to Sydney and later Japan on secondment cementing her path.
- The power of proactivity: A central theme of the discussion was taking ownership of one’s professional growth. Natsuko emphasised the importance of putting yourself forward for big opportunities rather than waiting for them to be handed to you.
- Strategic relationship building: Success in the Australia-Japan space relies heavily on trust. Natsuko spoke candidly about how to intentionally build and nurture strong, authentic professional relationships with mentors, sponsors, and peers who can advocate for you throughout your career.
- A modern vision for the Australia-Japan relationship: In discussing her leadership role at the AJF, Natsuko highlighted two critical priorities for the future of the bilateral relationship:
- Educating Australians about the significance of the Australia-Japan relationship and Japan’s foundational contribution to Australia’s prosperity.
- Meaningfully integrating and elevating First Nations knowledge, culture, and voices within the Australia-Japan dialogue.
Thank you to Natsuko Ogawa for generously sharing her time, wisdom, and actionable advice with our Future Leaders network, and to Ashurst for hosting a fantastic evening. A big thank you also to Consul-General Tokuro Furuya for joining us as an observer and for his ongoing support of the Future Leaders Program.