Experience

Price Global

• Japan
• Professional Training and Coaching
• 1 - 100 Employee

• DEI Expert | Bringing Immersive Learning Experiences to Global Organizations & Fortune 500‘s

  • Jan 2003 - Present

  Global with Tokyo Headquarters “That was really interesting! Great food for thought, and you can handle a tough crowd.” The man shook my hand as he said it, and I found myself comparing his remarks to the ones I had heard as I set up before the session -- comments made well within earshot about how a program on unconscious bias would be a boring waste of time. I was facilitating training for 450 captains of a major airline over 25 sessions. And while they were one of my toughest audiences ever, their misgivings were… Show more “That was really interesting! Great food for thought, and you can handle a tough crowd.” The man shook my hand as he said it, and I found myself comparing his remarks to the ones I had heard as I set up before the session -- comments made well within earshot about how a program on unconscious bias would be a boring waste of time. I was facilitating training for 450 captains of a major airline over 25 sessions. And while they were one of my toughest audiences ever, their misgivings were not unique. Neither, however, was their change of heart after discovering that they were not in for a patronising lecture or concepts without immediately applicable practices. I founded Price Global with a commitment to doing the deep work of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The kind that goes beneath the surface to connect with people’s lived experiences, fears, and desires to belong and thrive. The kind that evolves mindsets and creates a tangible impact. Headquartered in Tokyo with a multinational team, we work with global organizations and Fortune 500’s to facilitate immersive learning experiences, from scripted actors who turn to participants mid-session to include them in the conversation, to a growing library of videos filmed in regions around the globe that highlight the intersectionality of biases. Our goal is to break open the everyday interactions that shape our work life, presenting the opportunity to relate, question, and put ourselves in others’ shoes. Often, organizations agree with the tenets of DEI but don’t know how to put them into practice. DEI requires being comfortable with the grey areas, the taboo topics, and the complexities that make up human behavior. That’s why we cultivate brave and compassionate conversations that empower people and bring about transformation on the personal and organizational level. Interested in seeing the difference this can make in your organization? Check out an example of Inclusion Theater at https://vimeo.com/719687054 Show less



Goldman Sachs

• United States
• Financial Services
• 700 & Above Employee

• Inhouse Consultant for Global Leadership & Diversity | Mental Health & Resilience Programs

  • Jan 2011 - Aug 2011

  Asia Pacific As a retained consultant for Goldman Sachs I championed diversity initiatives that were unprecedented in the organization at the time, including a program to increase representation of persons with disabilities. Designed to be a win-win-win situation for the company, managers, and employees, I developed a hiring program to address the inequity that persons with disabilities often face in being under hired or hired at a level not commensurate with their capacity for success. We… Show more As a retained consultant for Goldman Sachs I championed diversity initiatives that were unprecedented in the organization at the time, including a program to increase representation of persons with disabilities. Designed to be a win-win-win situation for the company, managers, and employees, I developed a hiring program to address the inequity that persons with disabilities often face in being under hired or hired at a level not commensurate with their capacity for success. We identified candidates based on potential rather than strict resume credentials, and ring-fenced them for two years so their hiring manager could pair them up with a success mentor and give them expanded access to the training programs in the Goldman Sachs University. The initiative was so successful that it earned the company the Disability Matters Workforce Award, and continues to be adapted for other locations. Most importantly, it led to thinking differently about how to hire and onboard persons with disabilities. In 2011 Japan was rocked by the triple disasters of an earthquake, a tsunami, and the meltdown at the Daiichi nuclear power plant. In the wake of these events, the organization was faced with new mental health needs. I designed a resilience program with workshops on how to manage your stress in a crisis, developed a plan to support management in having conversations while dealing with their own stress, and created sessions for the working parent network on how to talk and play with their children as they processed their trauma. I ran similar programs for multiple companies, and partnered with the Japan Association for Play Therapy to bring therapists into affected areas and teach parents and caretakers how to do play therapy with their children. After organizing toy collections I persuaded FedEx and a Japanese delivery company on board to deliver the toys, with everyone donating their services and the money going back to the Association to further the program. Show less



UBS

• Switzerland
• Financial Services
• 700 & Above Employee

• Head of Diversity and Inclusion | Stakeholder Buy-In for DEI as a Business Imperative

  • Mar 2005 - Feb 2010

  Asia Pacific I joined UBS, as Head of Diversity and Inclusion – a pioneering role in the organization and a relatively new one in the region. Later, I also covered as Interim Head of Learning and Development. While I didn’t have a template to follow for how to develop the D&I role, I drew on my background as a clinician to assess the needs, make a diagnosis, design a plan, and evaluate whether my actions were achieving the desired outcomes. This approach helped me present DEI initiatives as a… Show more I joined UBS, as Head of Diversity and Inclusion – a pioneering role in the organization and a relatively new one in the region. Later, I also covered as Interim Head of Learning and Development. While I didn’t have a template to follow for how to develop the D&I role, I drew on my background as a clinician to assess the needs, make a diagnosis, design a plan, and evaluate whether my actions were achieving the desired outcomes. This approach helped me present DEI initiatives as a business imperative rather than a nice-to-have, gaining broad stakeholder support from the heads of departments like fixed income and investment banking to the CEO. A highlight of my tenure at UBS was planning and running one of the first ever LGBTQ+ campus recruiting events in Japan. Though initially met with some trepidation, the event was a huge success for UBS and, most importantly, members of the LGBTQ+ community as we created a safe space for questions and dialogue. I also considered diversity and equity as it pertained to our clients and our suppliers. If we hosted an event, for example, I advocated hiring a catering company run by persons with disabilities, and ensured that the food offered would work for people with different dietary needs. Some of these initiatives were eye-opening (for that time). When the idea was broached to host an event focused on women, the general consensus was that we’d be able to count our female clients on two hands – maybe even one. We ended up with over 100 women in attendance, and the success of the event went a long way towards shoring up client relations and strengthening our position as a values-based enterprise. Through strategic initiatives like this, I was able to lead the organization from having no provision for DEI to being the recipient of numerous awards and a benchmark in the industry and region, recognized for championing a wide range of diversity with innovative events, programs, and development opportunities. Show less



Independent Consultant

• Independent Facilitator and Coach | Cross-Cultural Coaching & Leadership Training

  • Feb 1999 - Dec 2004

  Based in New York; working throughout the US, Canada & the UK Moving from Tokyo to New York added to my experience of living and working in other countries – and to my passion for supporting people who were going through transitions with practical resources for stress management, change management, and resilience. The move also served as a bridge between my life as primarily a clinician and my life as a consultant. While I still saw clients as a psychotherapist on a volunteer basis, what I recognized here was a gap that I could fill given my… Show more Moving from Tokyo to New York added to my experience of living and working in other countries – and to my passion for supporting people who were going through transitions with practical resources for stress management, change management, and resilience. The move also served as a bridge between my life as primarily a clinician and my life as a consultant. While I still saw clients as a psychotherapist on a volunteer basis, what I recognized here was a gap that I could fill given my professional background, my life experience, and my curiosity about diversity and inclusion. I began coaching people preparing for or having recently experienced international transitions, helping them understand the differences in social norms and navigate the emotions, particularly as relates to identity, which accompany such a move. My work extended to assessments as well, aiding organizations in evaluating if individuals had the resilience to succeed in an unfamiliar environment. The bridge from clinical to corporate was further solidified as my cross-cultural training and coaching naturally parlayed into executive coaching, leadership training, and team building. Show less



Private Practice

• Psychotherapist | Leadership Training & Team Building

  • Oct 1993 - Oct 2004

  Tokyo, Japan & NYC, USA I practiced as a psychotherapist on a volunteer basis in New York, but before the move my psychotherapy work in Tokyo largely focused on Japanese returnees from other countries, or ex-pats who were struggling with the cultural adjustments and loss of identity that can accompany being relocated. As some of my clients were also senior executives in large corporations who asked me to bring my skills to their team, this often dovetailed with leadership coaching and team building.



Inter-group Corporation

• Trainer: Cross-Cultural Competencies & Communication Skills

  • Sep 1994 - Jul 1998

  Tokyo, Japan In this role I taught and designed specialized programs for professionals who required far more than conventional classes in English as a foreign language could provide. Our clients were, for example, doctors and nurses who needed to gain fluency in medical terms and competence around asking questions related to patient care, or individuals training to become simultaneous interpreters for the United Nations. We also worked with the Japanese Foreign Ministry, whose employees… Show more In this role I taught and designed specialized programs for professionals who required far more than conventional classes in English as a foreign language could provide. Our clients were, for example, doctors and nurses who needed to gain fluency in medical terms and competence around asking questions related to patient care, or individuals training to become simultaneous interpreters for the United Nations. We also worked with the Japanese Foreign Ministry, whose employees already spoke English fluently but benefitted from cross-cultural training to increase skills around areas like establishing rapport with someone from another country and discussing political issues. Show less



Tokyo English Life-Line (TELL)

• Counseling Services Director & Face-to-Face Psychotherapist | Training in Emotional Intelligence

  • Jan 1993 - Jul 1998

  Tokyo, Japan As director of the Tokyo English Life-Line (TELL), I interviewed, trained, and designed the 60-hour training program for volunteer telephone counselors helping foreigners cope with the emotional strain of surviving in a new country. This role saw me adapt the skills I had built treating patients with extreme mental illness to supporting individuals who found themselves outside of the mainstream, facing cultural challenges and dealing with issues around belonging and psychological safety.… Show more As director of the Tokyo English Life-Line (TELL), I interviewed, trained, and designed the 60-hour training program for volunteer telephone counselors helping foreigners cope with the emotional strain of surviving in a new country. This role saw me adapt the skills I had built treating patients with extreme mental illness to supporting individuals who found themselves outside of the mainstream, facing cultural challenges and dealing with issues around belonging and psychological safety. It was at TELL that I learned to be a facilitator and develop people, honing my ability to communicate and teach non-clinicians enough counseling skills run the hotline. Today, I use these same competencies at Price Global when we facilitate programs for managers on how to talk about mental health with their people, or how to have sensitive conversations about inclusion and diversity. Whether you are a volunteer trying to help a caller facing an unwanted pregnancy or a manager navigating tough conversations in the workplace, the critical skill – and the one I quickly developed a passion for cultivating – is emotional intelligence. Show less



UK and Australian Mental Health Services

• Registered Psychiatric Nurse | Individual & Group Therapy

  • Oct 1987 - May 1992

  United Kingdom and Australia My background as a Psychiatric Nurse psychotherapist – working in forensic psychiatry in Australia and in a psychotherapy day unit in the UK – gave me a firm grounding in the leadership and team-building principles that I have carried forward throughout my career. Building a cohesive and trust-based team was essential for the safety and efficacy of our work, as was the ability to collaborate as part of a multidisciplinary unit working together towards the common goal of creating and… Show more My background as a Psychiatric Nurse psychotherapist – working in forensic psychiatry in Australia and in a psychotherapy day unit in the UK – gave me a firm grounding in the leadership and team-building principles that I have carried forward throughout my career. Building a cohesive and trust-based team was essential for the safety and efficacy of our work, as was the ability to collaborate as part of a multidisciplinary unit working together towards the common goal of creating and implementing care plans to support desired patient outcomes. I also benefitted from learning a host of methodologies ranging from facilitating relaxation and group therapy sessions to art, dance, and drama therapy. These techniques continue to serve as a creative foundation for designing learning experiences around building resilience and managing stress. Likewise, understanding systems from the perspective of family therapy readily translates into understanding organizational systems and the dynamics of a workplace. Show less