OUR FACILITATORS | Link Global Solution Inc.

Our bilingual facilitators employ a combination of lectures, stories, role-playing, skits, participant-led poster sessions, case-study analysis, and presentations to deliver workshops that are educational, enlightening, entertaining, and always engaging. Utilizing objectivity as a tool, our instructors help participants not only better understand, but also navigate the cultural gaps that need to be addressed in order to succeed in the global workplace. They also provide consulting services that build on the "maps" of communication and management used in the workshops.

Robert has lived and worked in Japan for close to 40 years. He has both a B.A. and an M.A. from the University of California, San Diego in Linguistics/TESOL. After coming to Japan, he became a tenured instructor at International Christian University, where he worked for 16 years. He was also a part-time lecturer at Waseda University. Since 2000, he has concentrated on his facilitation, teaching, and consulting work with LGS. In addition, Robert is recognized as an expert on testing. He has written nearly 100 books on TOEIC and TOEFL, and is a regular lecturer on those topics.
Gaz has a doctorate from the University of Manchester (2015), an MBA from the University of Cambridge (2003), and a Master’s degree in Chinese Language, Business, and International Relations from the University of Sheffield (2007). He worked in London for Daiwa Europe before moving to Japan in 1991. Gaz spent three years on the JET Programme, and then joined LGS in 1994. In his current role, he oversees the creation and delivery of new programs, and is a member of the management board. He holds level 1 of the JETRO Business Japanese Test (1997) and the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (1994). Gaz is also a published author.
Originally coming to Japan on the JET Programme, Andy has more than 20 years of professional experience in Japan. Since joining LGS in 2001, he has delivered over 2,000 seminar days for more than 60 companies, and for the past five years, he has also worked as an executive coach specializing in global leadership. In addition to his role with LGS, Andy has worked as a technical writer for a major Japanese electronics company and as an adjunct lecturer for Tokyo University of Science. Andy holds a BA (Hon) in Anthropology and Philosophy and postgraduate degrees in International Management (MSc), Adult Education (MEd), and Japanese Studies (MA).
Nate holds a Master’s in International Business Management (MMI) from the University of Phoenix (2005) and an undergraduate degree in Mathematics from Ohio University (1998). He moved to Japan in 1998 with the JET Programme to teach in Gunma Prefecture. After three years in the school system, he spent two more years at the prefectural office, training overseas teachers and their Japanese counterparts. He joined LGS in 2003. Recently, Nate has been integral to a global post-merger integration project that involves working with subsidiaries around the world. Nate is a guest lecturer at Rikkyo University and taught at Tokyo University of Science for three years. He is fluent in Japanese.
Patrick graduated with a B.A. in Asian Studies from the University of Victoria, Canada, focusing on Japan and Japanese language (1996). He joined U.S. firm Vermeer Manufacturing and was transferred to Malaysia in 1997. He subsequently worked as a sales manager for Mountain Greens in Canada. After that, he came to Japan in 2003 to join the JET Programme as a Coordinator for International Relations in Mie Prefecture. He joined LGS in 2005 as an intercultural communication trainer. Currently, he facilitates seminars on diversity management and is a consultant on global management projects for various clients. He has an MBA from Royal Roads University (2014).
After graduating from the University of Massachusetts in 1993, Susan came to Japan with the JET Programme. She then returned to the U.S. to take a position in Human Resources at Citizens Bank of Massachusetts. In 1998, she began working at Canon Inc.’s Tokyo headquarters in Global Human Resources Management and Development, leaving in 2004 to become an independent consultant. From 2000 to 2012, she also worked as a radio and television presenter, reporter, and writer for NHK Educational and NHK World. She has been working as an intercultural trainer and consultant with LGS since 2006. She has published several books and is fluent in Japanese.
Suzhen came to Japan in 1988 to study at Waseda University. She passed level 1 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test in 1988 and won a Japanese government scholarship in 1991. Suzhen graduated in 1992 and then joined a Japanese research institute. At the same time, she began her teaching and consulting relationship with LGS (INTEC Japan at the time). After six years in Japan, Suzhen went to the UK to study Business and Commerce at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge. After her return, Suzhen renewed her training and consulting relationship with LGS. In addition to facilitating Intercultural Communication workshops, she consults on China-related projects.
Brooke has a degree in violin performance from the University of New Mexico. She was a professional musician until moving to Japan in 2004. She spent almost three years in Iwate Prefecture before joining the JET Programme as an Assistant Language Teacher, a position she held until 2010. Brooke then became a Coordinator for International Relations, a role in which she was responsible for the professional development and welfare of 120 Gunma JET Programme participants. Brooke joined the LGS team in 2012. Her main duties are personnel management, facilitation, program development, and project management. Brooke holds level 1 of the Japanese Language and Proficiency Test.
Graham has a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing Specialization) from the University of British Columbia (1994), and a Certificate in Intercultural Communication, University of British Columbia (2012). He worked in Vancouver for British Columbia Telecommunications while finishing his business degree. He moved to Japan in 1994 and spent six years working as the Facility Manager of the Osaka branch of Britannica Inc. Graham then taught at Osaka University of Health and Sport Science for six years and also ran his own sales tax refund business for Japanese travelers to Canada. In 2006, he joined Create, a consulting company specializing in global business communication. After completing his Certificate in Intercultural Communication, Graham joined LGS in 2012.
After gaining his Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of California at Los Angeles, Mike went on to take a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from San Jose State University. He worked on the Japan English and Teaching (JET) Programme from 1998 to 2001. After returning to California, he established an office providing legal, immigration, insurance, and real estate services. He joined the Oakland Fukuoka Sister City Association to continue his relationship with Japan, and in 2012, returned to Japan, joining LGS as an instructor. Mike focuses on Business Skills and English Speaker Mindset training. He also brings his experience of Southeast Asia and South America to the team.
Francesca was born in Switzerland, grew up in Italy, and attended university in Germany, where she graduated with an M.A. in Japanese Studies from Tϋbingen University. In 2012 she joined the JET Programme, working as a Coordinator for International Relations in rural Nagasaki. Five years later, she moved to Tokyo, where she served as Programme Coordinator, managing the JET Programme at a Japanese government agency. In July 2021, following a season as a ski instructor in Vancouver, Canada, she brought her nine years of professional cross-cultural communication experience to Link Global Solution. In addition to Italian, her native language, Francesca speaks fluent English, Japanese, and German.
Daniel graduated from Leiden University in the Netherlands in 2016 with an M.A. in Asian Studies. He spent two of his university years in Japan, one at Nagasaki University and one at Kyoto University, where he did research on societal problems in Japan. After graduation, he joined the JET Programme in 2017 and worked for a small city in Yamagata Prefecture, where he organized lectures and small-scale events to teach local citizens about Dutch culture and history. He was also involved in the city’s Olympic Host Town activities. He is fluent in Dutch, English and Japanese.
After graduating from Amherst College in Massachusetts with a double major in English Literature and East Asian Studies, Ross set his sights on Japan and moved to Fukuoka in 2016. There he remained for five years, teaching English at a private high school and chairing the Fukuoka chapter of the Association for the Japan Exchange Teaching (AJET) in his final year. Ross has appeared on Japanese television to discuss the Black Lives Matter movement and the concept of discrimination and systematic racism in America. He is currently enrolled at Shizenkan University studying for his Master’s in Business Leadership and Innovation while simultaneously leveraging his social and cultural insight as an instructor for LGS.