My career began at Hilton International Food & Beverage Control, followed by 11 years in the hospitality industry across Japan, Malaysia and China. I moved on to Official Development Assistance, organizing and hosting several international meetings and conferences in Western Europe, the Middle East and some countries in southern Africa. Since 2014, I’ve been at the Chiba Convention Bureau for international business development.
I would like to initiate a peace dialogue among conflicting ethnic groups.
The global pandemic, as unfortunate as it is, has provided me with an opportunity to prioritize my daily tasks, predominantly regarding the balance between family and work life. Additionally, I feel as if it’s given me time for personal reflection and development.
My biggest challenge has been the training of junior members, who will spearhead this industry in the future.
I’ve been consistently relearning the logistics of event arrangements and the correlation to the outcome of meetings, so I must say I’ve been constantly evolving with each experience and have become more open-minded in the process.
I love meeting colleagues from all over the world who share the same passion and skillset. It establishes an opportunity to learn from others and vice versa; it’s a never-ending cycle of social global development and intercommunity.
I was blessed to be given the role of MPI Japan Chapter board member in 2016, and eventually became president. During this time period, the introduction of international market trends to Japan has been a cause of a constantly evolving career choice. This being said, I’ve been a witness to Japan facing, and by consequence adapting to, the changing world.
The industry would greatly benefit from a sense of pride, especially to play a key role in world peace and prosperity.
In Japan, the meeting and event industry is still believed to only orientate around one-dimensional factors such as infrastructure for attendees. We should ultimately play a more decisive and vital role as a catalyst for the local economy and industry.
I’m passionate about raising my biracial daughter and seeing her accomplishments in the future as a woman of color.
Photo by Soliman Productions Inc.
