Mr. Siemers has been working for the European institutions since 1993. His first postings were on EU-Japan relations, in both Brussels and Tokyo. This was followed by a posting in trade policy at the time of the Seattle and Doha ministerials of the WTO, during which he played a significant role in the development of the European Commission's dialogue with civil society organisations in the context of trade policy.

After a stint in the Commission's consumer policy department, Mr. Siemers joined the Maritime Policy Task Force, as part of the core team laying the groundwork for Europe’s maritime policy. In 2008, Mr. Siemers joined the team tasked with the implementation of EU maritime policy, spearheading the development of an EU legal framework for maritime spatial planning, and a structured policy on international ocean governance.

From 2018 to 2020, he headed the team in charge of clean energy technologies in the European Commission. He joined the EU’s Delegation in Tokyo in September 2020 as Minister, Deputy Head of Delegation. Mr. Siemers has a degree in Japanese studies which led to both academic and private sector work in and with Japan prior to his joining the European Commission.

Sergio Pavon works in Brussels at the European Commission (Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development) as an expert in international negotiations.

Prior to this, he was in the Directorate-General (DG) for Trade (exports of agri-food products) and in the DG for Health and Consumer Protection (audits, animal identification and traceability).

He has been the spokesperson and representative of the European Commission at several international organisations (World Trade Organization, FAO, ISO, UNCTAD, STDF, etc.)
 

Megumi Kobayashi has worked at the senior trade office of the Trade Section at Delegation of the European Union to Japan since 2011. Her duties include policy analysis, the seamless implementation of the EU-Japan EPA, and handling market access and non-tariff measure issues in fields such as agriculture, food, food safety, and more.

Dominique Corby was the former executive chef at Le Cordon Bleu Japan and has resided in Japan for more than 20 years. Chef Corby has a passion for Japanese ingredients and integrates traditionally Japanese ingredients into French cooking, creating innovative dishes. Chef Corby has dedicated himself to creating a harmonious marriage between Japanese and French food culture.

Masahito Ueki is a genius when it comes to preparing French cuisine with a Japanese soul. In Japan, he is known as a "wakonyosai 和魂洋才", which means an outstanding chef with a Japanese spirit who employs Western skills. Recently, he's been very active on various TV shows and has done interviews for magazines as a European gourmet dining ambassador.

Yuki Matsuoka has years of experience as a moderator at many international conferences and diplomatic meetings. As a lover of wine and gourmet cuisine, Yuki also extensively studied European food cultures and gourmet cuisine.

She is dedicated to cultural exchanges and loves discovering and introducing new lifestyles via food, so sharing the latest overseas food and gourmet dining knowledge and experiences is an everyday passion for her. She is also a professional interpreter and broadcast host, where she can discuss and share her food passions in English and Japanese.

Mayumi Hayashi is a senior wine instructor at the most famous wine school in Tokyo, Academy du Vin, a world-renowned sommeliers training programme. She is also a permanent judge for Asia's largest international wine competition, the "Sakura Awards". Ms. Hayashi has travelled to over 65 countries around the world as an advocate of "wine art" to deliver her message about wine and gourmet dining. She is also very active as a writer and taster for gourmet dining sites, hosts her own YouTube channel, and has done a myriad of interviews for various wine magazines. She is a true pioneer in the wine world.

Himeyo Nagatomo is an olive oil enthusiast who has been dedicated to introducing high quality European olive oil as a healthy supplement. Currently, Ms. Nagatomo is also the representative director of the Japan Olive Oil Taster Association and trains olive oil tasters in Japan. 

She conducts various seminars, lectures, media appearances, and writing activities on olive oil and food throughout Japan and around the world in order to continue spreading her message that "a good life begins with good olive oil".　
 

Mayako Kishi is a well-known JSA Sommelier in Japan with years of experience with fine restaurants in Italy. Currently, she is the owner of Ristorante Valenza in Roppongi and presides over Giardino Italian cooking classes in Hiroo, Tokyo, Sakae, and Nagoya.

Mayako has spent her career promoting European gastronomy, as well as educating European food and wine lovers about wine pairings to better enjoy gourmet cuisines.