IJCC Board of Directors Confirmed for 2026-2027 at AGM
On 28 May, we were delighted to hold this year’s IJCC Annual General Meeting at Ireland House in Yotsuya, for the second time since the new building opened last year.
The evening began with remarks from our host and Chamber Patron, Ambassador Damien Cole. This year was the last in which Ambassador Cole would join us to represent the Embassy of Ireland, and we would like to thank the Ambassador for his continued support of the chamber to date.
IJCC President Sarah Hickey opened the AGM by highlighting the achievements and activity of the Chamber from last year and focus areas moving forward.
IJCC Director Sam Keane, our MC for the evening, facilitated the reporting of the AGM. This was delivered by Vice Presidents Pat Ryan, Aisling Barry, Brietta O'Leary, and IJCC Treasurer Paul Nugent.
👉 Click here to view the full AGM presentation.
For the first time, the AGM reporting was followed by presentations by our partner Team Ireland organizations (Embassy of Ireland, Bord Bia, IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland), as well as the European Business Council in Japan.
This served as an excellent chance for our members to gain some exclusive insights into ongoing trends in the wider Ireland-Japan relationship, and we would like to thank our partners for their cooperation in making this year's AGM one of the most informative yet for our members.
The membership voted to approve the FY2026 budget, in addition to an amendment to diversify our Corporate Sponsorship offering with the addition of a Corporate Silver category.
6 Directors were re-elected, and we were delighted to welcome Lily Wu as a new director to the Board.
A special mention must also be made to outgoing Vice President, Brietta O'Leary, for their contributions to the IJCC during their time on the Board, particularly in making the IJCC a more inclusive and representative space for our members.
The IJCC Board of Directors for FY2026 comprises a total of 14 members.
Following the conclusion of presentations, the new Board of Directors convened to elect the members of the Chamber Executive.
- Sarah Hickey was elected to continue her second year as President.
- Pat Ryan and Yoshihiro Tsuchiya were successfully re-elected as Vice Presidents, and were joined by a new Vice Presidents Rick Grehan and Paul Nugent.
- Aisling Barry stepped down from her position as Vice President and will continue to serve the IJCC in the position of Director for FY2026.
A special thank you is due to our Platinum Sponsors, Toyoko Inn and The BUSKER Irish Whiskey for their generous support throughout the past fiscal year.
Finally, we would like to thank Kenta Bell who kindly provided the photography for the evening.
👉 Click here to view the full event gallery
We are especially grateful for our members both past and present, and we look forward to another year of exciting activity in the Ireland-Japan business community.
2026 - 2027 IJCC Board of Directors
President – Sarah Hickey
Vice President – Rick Grehan
Vice President & Treasurer – Paul Nugent
Vice President – Pat Ryan
Vice President – Yoshihiro Tsuchiya
Director – Aisling Barry
Director – Philip Greenan
Director – Masaaki Hashimoto
Director – Mary Honohan
Director – Harumi Kanaya
Director – Sam Keane
Director – Dominic Keogh
Director – Ronan Miyachi
Director – Lily Wu
Auditor - Conor Canavan
IDA Ireland Ex-Officio - Derek Fitzgerald
Enterprise Ireland Ex-Officio - Patrick Torrekens
Bord Bia Ex-Officio - Joe Moore
Embassy Ex-Officio - Rory Conaty
President Emeritus - Matthew Connolly
Advisor - Andy O'Doherty
Advisor - Eamonn Murphy