Jean-Eric Paquet is the Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Japan since autumn 2022.

He held various mandates at the European Commission, where he contributed in shaping EU policy in various fields. As the Director-General for Research and Innovation from 2018 and 2022, he set up the European Innovation Council and promoted a whole-of-government approach for R&I, notably via the creation of several EU Missions to solve major ecological, societal and economical challenges.

He gained considerable experience at international level as Director for the Western Balkans in the Directorate-General for European Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations and as EU Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania from 2004 to 2007.
 

From 2015 to 2018, he was Deputy Secretary-General of the European Commission, in charge of Better Regulation and Policy Coordination, covering all policy areas related to the EU Green Deal.
 

He also led the development of the Trans-European Transport Network Policy and was responsible for Europe’s transport infrastructure policy and investment strategies, the single European rail area, inland waterways and port policy.

In all his endeavours, he puts co-creation and systemic change at the heart of the decision-making process, and strongly believes that citizens should be more involved in shaping public policy agendas.
 

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.