Board of Directors

Home Board of Directors

President of the BoardDavid-Kei CODÈRE-MARUYAMA
Lawyer
BCF s.e.n.c.r.l.

David-Kei Codère Maruyama joined the BCF Montreal office in the summer of 2014 as a student. After graduating from the Université de Montréal with a law degree, Mr. Codère Maruyama continued his studies in order to obtain a Juris Doctor at the same institution;

During his law studies, Mr. Codère Maruyama was Vice-Chair of the International Affairs Committee where he was responsible for organizing a student delegation for the WTO Simulation, as well as participating in the Wilson Moot Court Competition. Mr. Codère Maruyama was fortunate to gain significant professional experience on the international scene during his academic career, including working in Shanghai, Tokyo and an international engineering firm in Montreal;

Having lived in several countries, Mr. Codère Maruyama is fluent in French, English and Japanese and has a basic knowledge of the Chinese language.

Treasurer of the CouncilPhilippe BOIVIN
Managing Director – Global Corporate & Investment Banking
MUFG Bank, Ltd., Canada Branch

Philippe joined the Board of Directors of the Quebec-Japan Business Forum in 2019, acting as Treasurer. Philippe is Managing Director at MUFG Bank, Ltd., Canada Branch and is responsible for key corporate relationships of the bank in the Province of Québec. Philippe holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from HEC Montréal and an MBA from Concordia University.

Secretary of the BoardThierry Slama
Expert Advisor – Exports
Invest Québec International

Thierry Slama advises and supports Quebec companies in their international development projects at Invest Québec International – Export division (former Export Québec, the Foreign Trade Unit at the Ministry of Economy and Innovation). As such, Mr. Slama organizes trade and ministerial missions and plans “Meet the Buyers” events in Quebec. His fields of expertise cover the entertainment and gaming sectors. He has worked on the Germany, India and Korea desks. In 2019, he was appointed head of the Japan desk.

Mr. Slama holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from the École spéciale des Travaux publics in Paris (France), a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the Université de Montréal and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the École nationale d’administration publique of Québec. Before joining Invest Québec and the Government of Quebéc, he worked for the Bouygues group as a lead engineer and in the Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Member of the Board (Former President)Akira YAMAGUCHI
Founder
SUN BRIDGE Inc

Akira Yamaguchi, a Japanese woman born in France and living in Quebec since 2009, grew up in a multicultural environment from a very young age;

Passionate about the media and the world of entertainment, she began her professional career in 2000 with renowned companies in the industry;

Living in Quebec since 2009, she continues her career as a business development director in the Quebec animation industry. In 2012, she decided to create Corporation SUN BRIDGE Inc. in Montreal, a consulting firm working to create a bridge with Japan in the content creation industry;

Secretary to the 2013-2015 Forum, Akira Yamaguchi has been appointed President of the Board of Directors of the Quebec-Japan Business Forum from 2017 to 2020.

Member of the BoardClaire YU
Director, Asia Pacific and Middle East at Foreign Investment Attraction for the Province of Québec
Invest Québec International

Claire Yu leads development efforts in the Asian market at Invest Québec International to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to the Province of Québec. Her current responsibilities include designing and implementing FDI attraction strategies for Asia Pacific and Middle East.

Since 2007, Ms. Yu and her team have directly contributed to the contribution of more than 30 Asian investment projects from various sectors, including mining, financial services, information and communications technology, life sciences, aerospace and real estate.

Ms. Yu holds a Bachelor of Laws from Fudan University in Shanghai, China and an MBA from HEC Montréal. Before immigrating to Quebec, she worked for a French multinational in Shanghai and then at the Canadian Consulate General in Shanghai. She won the HEC Montréal Succession of Excellence Award (2013 edition) and received the Government of Canada Award of Merit in 2003.

Member of the BoardToshiharu TARUI
Deputy Consul-General
Consulate General of Japan in Montreal

April 1990: Entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)

June 1993: Third Secretary, Embassy of Japan, Antananarivo, Madagascar

July 1996: Second Secretary, Embassy of Japan, Paris, France

July 1998: Officer, First Africa Division, MOFA

July 2000: Officer, Fishery Division, MOFA

April 2003: Second Secretary, Japanese Delegation to the UN, NY, U.S.A

July 2005: Second Secretary, Embassy of Japan, Antananarivo, Madagascar

December 2007: First Secretary, Embassy of Japan, Luxembourg, Luxembourg

June 2011: Deputy Director, Western Europe Division, MOFA

September 2013: Deputy Director, Country Assistance Planning Division III, MOFA

October 2016: Principal Deputy Director, Non- Government Organizations, Cooperation Division, MOFA

September 2018: Principal Deputy Director, Cultural Affairs and Overseas, Public Relations Division, MOFA

March 2020: Deputy Consul General, Consulate General of Japan in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Member of the BoardUri PIZARRO
B2B Coordinator
CLC Montréal Language School

After participating in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program between 2004 and 2007, Uri Pizarro was appointed administrator system at McGill University upon his return to Japan. In 2010, he joined the CLC Montreal team as a B2B coordinator working with managers and executives to help them maintain international talent.

Member of the BoardSara COUTURE
Co-Founder
TOKUSEN IMPORTS

Sara Couture is the co-founder of Tokusen Imports which specializes in the import of high quality Japanese artisan products, and an articling student at BCF Business Law.

She graduated from Laval University with a degree in International Studies and Modern Languages, and from Université de Montréal with a degree in Law. She is currently completing as Master’s degree in IT Law. She participated in the international competition Law Without Walls X, in which she won first place for the development of a social justice app and “Best Business Plan” at the Law Without Walls Original competition at Miami Law. She also worked as a research assistant at the Cyberjustice Laboratory where she was involved in research and in publication on the impact of new technologies on access to Justice.

Between her studies she spent two years teaching in Japan through the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme where she was introduced to Japanese tea ceremony. Since her return to Canada, she has been involved in the Japanese cultural community as the Vice-President, in 2018, and President, in 2019, of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Alumni Association. She remains an avid tea practitioner and member of the Montreal Association of Chado Urasenke Tankokai.

Member of the BoardCharles-Anica ENDO
President and Chief Executive Officer
AGY-ENDO Corporation

Dr. Charles-Anica Endo is CEO of AGY-Endo Corporation and EAM Advanced Materials. He has been working for more than 10 years in the fields of animal feed chemicals and advanced materials. Dr. Endo is best known for his background in nanotechnology. He has been a member of Prima Québec’s Board of Directors for Advanced Materials since 2016.

In his career, Dr. Endo has held various scientific and management positions, including with the Government of Quebec. At the university and graduate level, he has been involved in research and teaching. He has more than 40 publications and scientific conferences to his credit. He also led the Quebec initiative on the impacts of nanotechnologies (Ne3LS Network) for 5 years.

Dr. Endo has been involved in trade and business development for over 10 years in Canada, Asia and Europe where he distributes the products of major corporations including Sumitomo, GE and GSI Creos Corporation. He has also organized more than 18 economic missions to Asia (Japan, South Korea) in nanotechnology and environment. He has also organized more than 10 international conferences and is the initiator of 6 collaborative agreements between Canada and Japan. Dr. Endo was also awarded the 2009 International Collaboration Award by the Association for Nanotechnology Research (NTRA), the Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE) and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST), South Korea.

Member of the Board (Former Treasurer)Amos SIMPSON
Former Managing Director
MUFG Bank, Ltd., Canada Branch

Involved since the foundation of the Quebec-Japan Business Forum, Amos Simpson has been named President of the Board of Directors in 2001-2002. Since then, he is seating at the Board as the Treasurer. As the dean Board member, Mr. Amos Simpson brings an important contribution in his excellent administration management of our association.