AMP Chair Debra Hazelton becomes AJBCC Vice-President

AMP Chair Debra Hazelton becomes AJBCC Vice-President

The Australia Japan Business Co-Operation Committee (AJBCC) is pleased to announce the election of AMP Chair Debra Hazelton as one of its three Vice-Presidents.

Debra brings to the position of Vice-President of the AJBCC a wealth of senior-level business experience linking Australia and Japan. She was appointed AMP Chairman in August 2020, having originally joined the AMP Limited Board and the AMP Bank Board in June 2019 and the AMP Capital Holdings Limited Board in June 2018. Debra has worked in global financial services for more than 30 years, including as the local Chief Executive of Mizuho Bank in Australia and Commonwealth Bank (CBA) in Japan, and in a global senior executive role for Mizuho Financial Group based in Tokyo. She became a member of the Board of the AJBCC in 2020.

Debra is also a non-executive director on the boards of Treasury Corporation of Victoria, and Persol Australia Holdings. Her previous board experience includes non-executive director roles of: Australia-Japan Foundation (AJF), Australian Financial Markets Association (AFMA), Asia Society and Women in Banking and Finance. She has graduate and post-graduate degrees in Japanese language, literature and philosophy as well as economics and finance.

Accepting the position, Ms Hazelton said she was excited to be taking up the position at a time of great challenges and opportunities for the Australia-Japan business relationship. “The need to drive recovery from the COVID Pandemic through effective and appropriate investment in infrastructure for the future, the need for our energy trade to evolve as we push to decarbonise, and changing political dynamics in our region all make this a critical time in our well-established strong relationship with Japan. As the first woman to hold this position in the AJBCC, I will be looking to ensure that we maximise our ability to deal with these challenges by creating opportunities for participation that draw in all the talent available to us.”

Welcoming the election of Ms Hazelton to the Board, AJBCC President Peter Grey said “I am delighted that one of Australia’s most capable and respected business leaders has committed to strengthen her engagement with the AJBCC. With her strong background in the Financial sector, her Japanese language and cultural skills, and her energy and commitment to building diversity and inclusivity, Debra brings to the table a unique mix of skills and attributes, at a time when the importance of business relations with Japan has never been greater.”

Ms Hazelton joins incumbents Bob Seidler AO and Ian Williams as a Vice-President of the AJBCC, which was formed in 1962 to promote business relations with Japan with its counterpart organisation in Tokyo, the Japan-Australia Business Co-operation Committee, formed in 1963.