Annie Chang (アニー・チャン), WITJ President
Annie Chang is an advocate for women’s participation in the science & technology fields in Japan & Asia.Originally from Taiwan, she has worked for over 20 years bringing women into the field and empowering women into leaders of innovation in Japan.In 2013, she founded Women in Technology Japan (WITJ) to further promote women in a time when women’s participation in the workforce is pivotal to Japan’s national economic agenda.
アニー・チャンは台湾に生まれ、台湾の有名大学を卒業し、高校教師として働いた後日本に移住。自力で日本語と英語を学び、様々な多国籍企業で働きながらIT営業とコンサルティングスキルを身につけた。チャンは1989年に最初の会社を設立。トップ500に入る多国籍企業を対象に、ソフトウェアトレーニングの提供とITエンジニアの紹介を実施。その後クライアントのニーズ、そして1990年代のITブームに応えるべく、香港と東京にITコンサルティング会社を設立し、テクノロジーのみならず金融およびヘルスケア業界に特化したサービスを提供。2008年に始まった金融危機を機に事業の見直しを行い、グローバル市場でのIT人材紹介にフォーカスしたAG Global Solutionsを設立した。チャンは雑誌に掲載されたり、セミナーの講師を務めたりした経験があり、また過去20年間に渡ってダイバーシティ（多様性）の推進とITに携わる女性の支援に積極的に関わってきた。
Ery Blackstone, WITJ Co-Founder
Ery Blackstone is CEO at Business Development Services, as well as Director at Accident Zero Forum began her career as a web designer/programmer. After working for several companies, she joined Netmile, which was established by Japan IT pioneer NetAge. After gaining experience in contents marketing, sales and back office operation and with great support from her supervisors, she became the youngest and first female Senior Manager. She realized that people could grow and succeed regardless of gender, age or academic background. This experience led her in 2005 to establish a business development consulting company focusing on IT.
She met her current business partner and had been working for the project as a consultant since 2017, then launched “事故ゼロフォーラム” (Accident Zero Forum – General Incorporated Association) To aim for accident “Zero” society, developed a new biz ecosystem then inviting each special field to decrease traffic accidents; Govt, Tech, Investor, Biz developer, Education, Researcher, Car service company, etc… Now she is working on developing innovative business ecosystem in cross-cultural environments in order to create a future in which anyone can share their technology, wisdom, and education.
Xinmei Cai, WITJ Senior Advisor
With a BA degree from Middlebury College and MS in Software Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, Xinmei joined Google Mountain View in 2004 after working as a software engineer in Microsoft and subsequently a Silicon Valley startup for 4+ years. She later became the Tech Lead of AdWords International Forms of Payments team. In 2007, Xinmei led the team to receive the Executive Management Group award, and was appointed Engineering Ambassador, moved to Tokyo in 2009, and built up YouTube Japan engineering team, and managed both the YouTube Mobile Site and YouTube Search global focus teams. In mid 2012, she joined Google Maps for Mobile (GMM) as engineering manager.
Kristina Janjetic, VP of Programs
Kristina has over 20 years of experience in the IT industry in Japan including Fujitsu, Dell & Microsoft. Originally from Australia, she holds a BA in International Relations from the International Christian University (ICU) in Tokyo. She started her IT career in Fujitsu as a Unix engineer and transitioned to a partner sales professional. Her passion is on her children, all children, being a working mum and learning from diverse people who make this world a better place.
富士通、DELL、マイクロソフトなどT業界で20年以上のキャリアを積み、現在はコンサルティング会社でセールスを統括し、活躍している。オーストラリア出身。来日後、国際基督教大学(ICU)にて国際関係学の学位を取得。大学卒業後は富士通にUNIXエンジニアとして就職、その後パートナーセールスへ転向。自身の子供たちや全ての子供たちのために、ワーキングマザーとして様々な人々と知り合い、学ぶことによって世の中をよりよくしていくことに情熱を燃やしている。
Yumiko Inoue (井上由美子), WITJ Mentor
Yumiko started her career at Mitsubishi Corporation as an “OL.” Four years later, she left the company and decided to study at a college.She got a job at IBM and worked as a system engineer responsible for local / national government, telecom, and educational institutions.When her husband took an assignment in Luxembourg, she accompanied with him and studied for post graduate degree. She also studied Artificial Intelligence and cognitive science in Belgium from her interest how computers will be integrated into people’s life.After she returned to Japan, she first enjoyed being a housewife but decided to go back to work and became an IT consultant.She then moved on to become a project manager, project group head and HR manager in foreign financial institutions. She is currently in charge of project governance. In her personal life, she has been married for 25 years, is a mother triplets (two girls and one boy), loves watching movies, swimming and playing piano.
三菱商事に一般事務職として就職。4年間勤務後退職。大学に戻り学ぶ。日本アイビーエムに再就職後、システムエンジニアとして官公庁、通信会社、教育機関を担当。家族の海外転勤に帯同しヨーロッパの小さな大国ルクセンブルグへ・大学院でビジネス、隣国のベルギーで人工知能と認知科学を学び、どのようにしてコンピューターが生活にうまく溶け込くかを研究。帰国後、主婦生活を満喫したが、社会とつながり人の役にたちたいと、再度ＩＴの世界へ復帰。会計事務所系コンサルティングファームでＩＴコンサルタントに。その後 外資系金融機関数社で、プロジェクトマネジャー、プロジェクトグループヘッド、人事部長を経て、現在はプロジェクトガバナンスを担当。プライベート：結婚25年。男の子、女の子二人の三つ子の母。映画鑑賞、週三回の水泳、50歳を過ぎてから習い始めたピアノが趣味。１年に必ず１つ新しい挑戦をすることが好奇心を忘れない秘訣。
Miho Aoki （青木美保）,WITJ Mentor
Leveraging off her 25 years of corporate career experience in 7 different multinational companies (management consulting, investment banking, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, IT consulting, apparel, and consumer goods manufacturing) in 6 different functional roles (strategic planning, consulting, sales, marketing, finance and general management), Miho’s new mission in life is to help other working women in Japan aspire to and achieve global careers balanced with personal life. As a mother of two daughters (both borne in her 40s), a Japanese national with studying / working experience in the US, and a former senior corporate executive who has led D&I initiatives during her corporate career, she has been mentoring and advising over 100 students and mid-career women on career transitions, building careers in non-Japanese companies, work-life balance, how to succeed as a working mom, and studying / working abroad. Miho currently is a Guest Lecturer at Showa Women’s University and its officially endorsed mentor. She also serves as a Business Advisory Board member for the US – Japan Council. Miho has a BA from Barnard College, Columbia University and a MBA from Harvard.Starting in 2016, she will be offering career advice / mentoring services to WITJ members free of charge. For more information, please contact her directly at mihaoki@gmail.com.
大阪生まれの青木は父の仕事に伴い、小学校３年間、高校、大学、ビジネススクールとＭＢＡ取得後のＮＹ外資系本社勤務を含む通算２０年間をＵＳで過ごした後、１９９５年に帰国。以来、転職を繰り返しながら日本の外資系支社でキャリアを積み、副社長兼Chief Marketing Officer、日本代表取締役などの上級管理職にも就いた。上級管理職時代は社内のＤ＆Ｉ活動でもリーダーシップを発揮。２５年間の外資系企業キャリア歴は７つの業種（経営コンサルティング、投資銀行、ＩＴコンサルティング、製薬・化粧品・アパレル・消費財メーカー）、６つの職種（経営戦略、コンサルティング、営業、マーケティング、財務、経営全般等）と多岐に亘る。この間、４０代で二人の娘を出産。育児とキャリアを両立させた。青木が自らに課した人生セカンドステージのミッションは「日本で働く女性のグローバル・キャリアとＷＬＢを支援すること」。 現在、US – Japan CouncilのBusiness Advisory Board Memberとして、また昭和女子大学グローバルビジネス学部ゲスト講師と大学公認 メンターとして100人以上の学生・社会人に外資系企業キャリア、転職、高齢出産、ワークライフバランス、バリキャリ・ワーママとなるための具体策、ＭＢＡを含む留学・海外勤務等に関するアドバイス・メンターリングを行っている。2016年よりWITJメンバーにキャリア・アドバイス、メンタリングの提供を開始（無料）。詳細は本人に直接の問い合わせを（mihaoki@gmail.com）。バーナードカレッジ（コロンビア大学）経済学部学士、ハーバードビジネススクールＭＢＡ。