Kasturi Basu

Kasturi Basu is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She has over 11 years of experience, much of it in the service industry including hospitality, tourism and advertising. It is here that she has encountered plenty of occasions to work with expatriate clients. She is a successful entrepreneur. Kasturi holds a master's level in management from the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore. She has conducted several internal trainings for many companies.

Jan Beasley

Jan Beasley is a Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She is well experienced in the issues expatriate families face during international transitions and has extensive knowledge and resources for both parents and children. Ms. Beasley was born in the UK and is a British Citizen. After completing her counseling qualifications she worked in a hospice as a bereavement counselor, had a small private practice, participated in a post-natal depression support group, and tutored an entry level counseling course at a UK adult education college. Jan has lived in Sydney, Australia and Turkey. Travel is a number one passion.

When Jan first arrived in Hong Kong she worked for the British Schools Foundation transitioning children with special needs into mainstream schools. With an interest in differences and change, it was a natural progression to develop an interest in cross cultural communication. To feed this interest she spends part of her summers at Reed College in Portland Oregon USA with The Summer Institute of Intercultural Communication and has completed a foundation in Intercultural Communication and participated in cross cultural workshops. Since living in Hong Kong, Jan has learned to play Mahjong and cook some local food. She is a regular shopper in Shenzhen, China and loves having guests so she can show off the place she now calls home. She lives with her husband and 12 year old daughter on Hong Kong Island.

Barbara Jane Bland

Barbara Jane Bland is a Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She is also a technical trainer with twenty years experience working with indigenous people in remote areas. She has worked with, and for, people from all nations of the world, specifically Melanesian, Polynesian and South-East Asian. Her geographical areas of concentration are North America, Latin America, Asia, and the Pacific.

Ms. Bland holds degrees in Urban Studies and Social Studies from Victoria and Monash Universities, Graduate Diplomas in Secondary Education and TESOL, and a Masters in Curriculum from RMIT. She has developed curriculum at the University Of Minnesota (Crookston) in Communications and worked as a project manager in Laos to develop a Bachelor of Science (agriculture) curriculum for the Department of Agriculture and Forests. She has worked professionally in the Pacific, Asia and America. Ms. Bland, who was brought up and educated in Victoria, Australia, lives with her family in Perth.

Sam Brier

Sam Brier is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. Sam has visited over 60 countries and has worked, studied and volunteered for extended periods in a dozen more: Australia, China, East Timor, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Laos, New Zealand, Spain, Thailand, The Netherlands and the USA. Overseas, Sam has designed and delivered intercultural workshops for a variety of governmental, public, non-profit and private organizations around the world, from the American Embassy in Vientiane, Laos, and the No. 3 Military Hospital in Chongqing, China, to the Board of Education in Osaka, Japan, and Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand plus many more.

Mr. Brier was born in Houston, TX. He holds a graduate degree in Asian Studies from the University of Melbourne, Australia, and a BA in Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin. His native language is English and he has studied several others including: Arabic, Chinese, French, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Lao, Portuguese, Spanish, Tetum, Thai and Vietnamese. Sam has written many books, and three have been published: The Lao Phrase Book, 2005 (Tiny Books; Chinese Phrase-A-Day Calendar, 2008 (China Press); and Chinese Phrase-A-Day book, is being published in 2008 (Periplus Publishing). He is also an active member of the Houston chapter of the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research (SIETAR), The Center for Healing Racism, American Field Services (AFS), the Asia Pacific American Heritage Association (APAHA), the Japanese Exchange & Teaching Alumni Association (JETAA), and the Japanese Consulate, for which he regularly joins the panel to interview the year's applicants to the prestigious JET Program.

Marie-Therese Claes

Marie-Therese Claes is a Senior Associate and Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She has been working with dfa for 2 years since receiving her advanced training in cross-cultural methodology and practice. She is also a professional executive trainer. Her expertise is concentrated in over 25 years' international experience in teaching and training: business communication, intercultural communication, international human resource management, diversity management. Her geographical areas of concentration are the European Union, North America, South-East Asia, Japan and China.

Ms. Claes holds a PhD and an MBA from the University of Louvain in Belgium. She is the author of books and articles on intercultural communication and cross-cultural management. She works professionally in four European languages. Marie-Therese Claes is past president of SIETAR Europa, and of EWMD (European Women Management Development). Marie-Therese Claes had a bilingual education, and has lived and worked in many countries in Europe and Asia. After her academic career, she divides her time between Belgium and Thailand, and delivers her services to companies globally.

Anita Fernandes

Anita Fernandes is a Senior Associate and Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She has worked in the relocation industry since 1993, having owned and managed her own business in Singapore and Malaysia, subsequently returning to Sydney where she is currently based. Anita was with IBM for 12 years working in various senior professional and management roles in Australia and the USA. She travelled to Asia extensively during this period and continues to travel and work in Asia.

As a professional coach, mentor and business manager Anita’s expertise in cross cultural communication and diversity enables her to help individuals and multi cultural teams effectively leverage the strength of their cultural differences, increasing their business skills and achieving their organisations objectives. Anita is a member of Employers Relocation Council (ERC), The Asia Pacific Alliance of Coaching (APAC) University of Sydney Coaching and Mentoring Association (USCMA) and NSW EEO Practitioners’ Association (NEEOPA).

Neeta Relwani Garg

Neeta is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions and has over 27 years experience as a Consultant, Counseling Psychologist, Educator, Television Anchor, Author and Corporate Trainer. She also is a specialist in communication and relationships and holds a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology.

Her most recent work includes collaborating with international researchers for a cross cultural study on peak experiences in Indians during mid-life. Neeta’s interests have been in creative pursuits: tai chi, dance, singing, theatre and writing. An author of over 100 articles published in newspapers, magazines and websites, she is currently writing two books.

Victor H. Garza

Victor H. Garza is an Associate Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. He devotes himself as a cross-cultural trainer within Mexico and China to working in academic, governmental and corporate settings delivering cross-cultural awareness programs and "Doing business in..." seminars. He also conducts relocation programs for expatriate executives and their families to enhance their intercultural competence during their living and/or working experience in China.

Mr. Garza was born in northeastern Mexico. He grew up as a Third Culture Kid spending his childhood and teenage years in the Midwestern U.S., Canada's Quebec, Germany's Bavaria, and northeastern and northwestern Mexico. He can speak Spanish and English fluently, and has a basic knowledge of French, German, and Mandarin Chinese. He holds a B.Sc. in Aquaculture Management and a M.Ed. in International Relations. Since 1991, Victor has been working and developing international exchange programs for student and faculty at Mexico's esteemed ITESM University System, a 32-campus private university system also known as "Monterrey Tech". In 1997 he moved to China to work as a language instructor for a wide range of students, from kindergarten children to middle-aged businesspersons. In his spare time he delivers seminars on "World Traveling," sharing among Chinese high school and college students his traveling experiences to over 33 countries within the world's six inhabited continents.

Olga Ivanova-Nuss

Olga Ivanova-Nuss is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She has over 18 years of professional experience in both Russia (her native country) and in the U.S. Prior to her relocation to the U.S. in 1994 she started several private innovative educational institutions in Moscow, Russia, both as part of a team and individually. She has taught a new generation of Russian managers to work efficiently in a free market economy and within the international arena.

Ms. Ivanova-Nuss coached employees and worked with top global companies and organizations in the U.S. and abroad providing performance and training solutions in areas such as multicultural teams, management and leadership in a global environment, global mindset and global communication skills.

Ms. Ivanova-Nuss holds a BS degree in Management from Humanitarian University of Russia (Moscow, Russia) and an MS in Instructional and Performance Technology from Boise State University (Idaho, USA). She received her cross-cultural training certificate from The Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication, Portland, Oregon, USA, as well as “Conflict Analysis” Certificate from United States Institute of Peace, Washington, USA. She has spent all her professional career working and training adults in colleges, private and government organizations. Russian language is her native language and she fluently speaks English. After 15 years of her professional career in USA Ms. Ivanova-Nuss returned to her home in Moscow, Russia, to continue coaching global professionals for their assignments in Russia. She frequently returns to USA for business and vacations.

Michael B Langer

Michael B. Langer is a Senior Associate and Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. Michael has over 10 years experience in helping Global Fortune 500 clients manage the process of cultural assimilation and integration ' on both organizational and national levels. He is also certified as a Feedback Specialist. With a first career in corporate training management and design at a global financial services firm, Michael gained substantial experience in tailoring learning and development initiatives to meet the needs of senior managers and directors. Later Michael moved to the Netherlands and then Turkey where he headed up a training institute that focused on developing global communication skills for local leaders. His geographical areas of concentration are the European Union, Turkey, North America, and East Asia, specifically Japan, Korea, and China.

Mr. Langer holds a Bachelor's degree in English from Columbia College, Columbia University in New York, as well as a Master's degree in Adult Learning. He authored a book on coping with "perfectionism", and has written articles on cross-cultural psychology and global workforce issues. He has translated professionally from Spanish and French to English, and speaks conversational Dutch and Mandarin Chinese. Michael was brought up in the United States and lived and worked in the Netherlands, France, Turkey, and China. He currently resides in Beijing and provides his services to companies globally.

Lesley Lewis

Lesley Lewis, M Ed. Pysch., M. of Cross-Cultural Psych., B.S. in Public Administration., an educational psychologist, studied in America and has been living in Hong Kong for over twenty two years. She is an Associate Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She works in private practice as a personal, couple and family therapist and is a consultant and trainer to private business’ and government agencies. Prior to moving to Hong Kong, Lesley has lived in Canada and the United States where she was employed as an educator, private therapist and trainer/consultant. She has over thirty years in the Human Services Field.

Ms. Lewis specializes in executive coaching, leadership/assertiveness training and cross-cultural development with a focus on individuals within the context of organizational development. In addition, she has been working with “TCK’s” (Third Cultured Kids) for over thirty years. She is currently conducting research on the adjustment of TCK’s. Furthermore, she writes articles and excerpts for books and magazines on Cross Cultural topics. Ms. Lewis is a frequent international speaker on cultural issues that affect international executives, educators and government employees and is often quoted in leading international publications.

Gary Lim

Mr. Gary Lim is a Senior Associate and Cross-Cultural training with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. In his corporate career from 1971 to 1992, he has held positions of General Manager, Marketing Manager and Engineering Manager of many multinational companies, including several Fortune 500 firms, in a variety of industries. These industries include oil and gas, environment, heavy industries, pharmaceutical, consumer goods, IT hardware and software, and telecommunication. His area of responsibility covers the whole of Asia Pacific region and the Indian sub-continent.

Mr. Lim is an experienced trainer, consultant and coach in marketing and intercultural issues. Since 1992, he has been conducting training and consulting in marketing in all types of industries in South East Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar), Greater China (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan), India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Korea and Japan. Therefore, he is familiar with business cultures in all these countries. He is appointed a Technical Expert by Asian Productivity Organisation (APO) in the field of international marketing for member organisations in Asia. He is also appointed an expert trainer under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He is author of "Doing Business in Taiwan", "Cultural Orientation Guide for Vietnam" and "Cultural Orientation Guide for Indonesia". He holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree from Singapore and MBA from USA.

Amy C. Liu

Amy Liu has extensive intercultural training, personal development training and counseling experiences. For over ten years, she has been involved in the development and facilitation of cross cultural workshops as well as personal development and business management workshops. As a bicultural and bilingual consultant, Amy has been based in Taipei, Taiwan since 1999 and has successfully delivered both individual and group cross cultural training to top level expatriates relocating to Taiwan as well as programs to Taiwanese managers in Greater China (Taiwan, Hong Kong & China) who desire to work effectively globally.

Ms. Liu holds a Master's degree in Counseling Education from San Jose State University as well as a BA in Economics with a minor in Business Management from the University of California, Irvine. Amy attends professional development seminars offered by The Summer Institute of Intercultural Communication and SIETAR's annual conference. Amy's family immigrated to California, USA while she was a teenager. She has lived and worked in the USA and Taiwan, and has also spent 2 years living in Japan. Prior to Amy's time as an intercultural trainer, she worked in the US as an international Student Counselor in a local community college while obtaining her Master's degree. Preceding this role, Amy worked as a Marketing Manager for San Miguel Beer and in public relations for Grey Advertising in Taiwan.

Monita Mascitti-Meuter

Monita Mascitti-Meuter is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She has over 17 years of lecturing, teaching and training experience of students and clients of diverse cultural backgrounds at Canadian and Australian Universities, Australian Language Centres.

Ms. Mascitti-Meuter background neatly combines the academic and practical side of cross cultural training. She has successfully completed a BA Hons. and Master degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies (Queen's University, Canada) as well as a Master in International Business (Swinburne University), and most recently completed the updated course of the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (Swinburne University). She has lived and worked in Curaçao (Netherlands Antilles), Canada, Australia; moved interstate to Sydney (Australia); and travelled extensively throughout the Americas, Europe and parts of South East Asia. As a result of her cross cultural experiences, she is fluent in Dutch, English and Spanish with working knowledge of French, Italian and Papiamento. Monita currently lives in Melbourne (Australia) with her young family and delivers her services to international companies located in Melbourne.

Brian E. McDermott

Brian McDermott currently serves as an intercultural trainer and cross-cultural facilitator with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. Brian has over 14 years experience in marketing and managing operations in the training and professional development industry in New York City and Asia. He has worked with both private business and government agencies in the USA, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Europe and South America.

Mr. McDermott is a Canadian national who was raised in Montreal, Canada and enjoys studying languages and speaks basic Thai, Mandarin, Japanese and French. Brian's BBA is from Pace University in New York, USA and his work and living experience includes Canada, the USA, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. He is currently based in Singapore.

Shobha Naidu

Shobha Naidu is Senior Associate and Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions in Bangalore. She is an accomplished cross-cultural trainer and has trained across several Indian cities for major IT and BPO companies. She has straddled both the corporate and the NGO sectors and has worked as a cultural and language interpreter in France and in India, with university students, corporations and foundations, on the issues of corporate social responsibility.

Ms. Naidu has an M.phil in Development Studies from ‘The University Institute of Development Studies' Geneva and an MA in French from the University of Paris. Shobha has traveled extensively and worked with different cultures. These experiences have enabled her to interact confidently and sensitively at the global workplace. She writes on cross-cultural topics for ‘The HINDU Business Line', one of India's leading English language dailies. She is also a member of 9 SIETAR (The Society for Intercultural Education, Training & Research).

Daryl Newton

Daryl Newton is an American Cross-Cultural trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. He specializes in cross-cultural training and communication skills, with more than twenty-nine years abroad in five countries in Europe and Asia. Professionally, he has worked in training for the last nineteen years, six in Turkey and thirteen in the Philippines.

Mr. Newton has a Masters Degree from the School for International Training (Vermont) in teaching foreign languages with a specialization in cross-cultural issues, and a Bachelors Degree in Sociology from the University of Utah. He has worked as a full-time staff member at the Citibank managed training center (CIBS) in Istanbul, at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, and part-time at the Asian Institute of Management. He has worked as a trainer with many multinational and Filipino businesses and organizations, including the International Rice Research Institute, the Australian Embassy, the Canadian Embassy, the U.S. Embassy, USAID, the International School of Manila and the British School of Manila.

Irene Ohler

Irene Ohler is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She brings 19 years of experience in people development and lots of enthusiasm to her client work. Irene combines intercultural theory with the practical know how of having lived on four continents, in her native Austria, China, Brazil, New Zealand and most recently in Vietnam.

Irene holds a Masters in Sinology from the University of Vienna.

She studied in China and then worked in Shanghai for a number of years with multinational companies as change consultant, project manager, and executive coach. Irene’s fluency in Mandarin and exposure to China’s development over the past 20+ years, both from within and outside the country make her a natural bridge builder between China and other cultures. While living in Brazil, Irene’s fascination increased about how culture impacts management behavior and business in general.

Sandy (Chungmee) Park

Sandy Park is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She is bi-cultural, after living in both Korea and the US as a child. Her specialty areas include cross-cultural training for expatriates, cross-cultural coaching, cross-cultural communication, global competency development, and language and culture.

Prior to her involvement in the intercultural profession, Sandy had a distinguished career in the financial services industry and utilizes her corporate experience to incorporate practical discussions in the cross-cultural work she engages in.

At the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis of 1997, Sandy was called upon to serve as the International Spokesperson of Korea’s Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC). As the first government foreign press spokesperson, she was responsible for communicating critical policy measures with the international community on a regular basis and as a result helped toward rebuilding credibility with key stakeholders.

CHRISTIAN ROUTIN

Christian Routin is a Senior Associate and Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. He specializes in Vietnamese culture and is currently based in Vietnam. Mr. Routin has over 20 years of practical international experience in the intercultural field and has worked with multicultural and multilingual teams across 10 countries.a His consulting work includes training, coaching, teambuilding, communications, negotiations, leadership and cross-cultural management.

Mr. Routin was born in Ho Chi Minh City and lived 13 years in Vietnam, 11 years in Saigon and 2 years in Hanoi. He is mixed French, Vietnamese and Italian and is fluent in Vietnamese, English, French, Italian and German. Mr. Routin holds a Master’s diploma in Business Administration and a Master’s in Political Science. He has worked in the hospitality, education and business management industries and worked in Hanoi as a Linguistic Attaché for the French Embassy.

Diane Walsh Sasaki

Diane Walsh Sasaki is a Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She has nearly 25 years of experience working with global teams in Asia Pacific as a trainer and communications consultant. Ms. Walsh Sasaki has trained in India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Korea, in addition to her adopted home of Japan. Areas of expertise include diversity training, team building and cross-cultural communications.

In 2006, she obtained her coaching certification and now works with high potential leaders on performance development as well as senior executives transitioning their leadership skills to new cultures and teams. She is fluent in English and Japanese.

Dr. Peter Shephard

Dr. Peter Shephard is a Senior Associate and Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. He has been working with dfa for over 15 years as an Associate based in the Asia-Pacific region. His experience include cross cultural consulting in such countries as China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Australasia.

Dr. Shephard entered the cross-cultural field when he worked for American Multinational pharmaceutical company in New Zealand and Australia and later with Qantas Airways. He moved to South East Asia on an HR Consulting assignment in the mid seventies and has been based there ever since. His first doctoral thesis was on the effects of Culture in the transfer of management technologies, partly funded by Philips N.V. and Shell International. Peter has authored several books, notably one onLeading Diverse and Multi-Cultured Teams‚ and completed his second doctoral degree on learning styles. Peter also teaches on several post graduate courses as a Visiting or Associate Professor in China, Malaysia, Thailand and most recently the UAE. He has a cross cultural marriage and currently is based in Kuala Lumpur, but travels regularly and delivers his services globally.

Vimla Philips

Vimla Philips is a Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. Her love for the intercultural experience has led her to many companies where her poise and training skills are much appreciated. Vimla has traveled extensively and interacts with people from all over the world. She has lived in Mumbai for more than 25 years, and is well acquainted with the city. She speaks English, Hindi and Malayalam very fluently.

Ms. Philips graduated from the Institute of Hotel Management and Atering Technology in Mumbai and taught at the same institute as a member of the teaching staff. Later she worked as HOD at the Food Craft Institute in Hyderabad. Vimla has extensive teaching experience and was able to develop her skills teaching at the Sophia Polytechnic in the Hotel Management department in Mumbai.

Ruchika Srivastava

Ruchika Srivastava is an Indian Cross Cultural Expert and Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She then went on to do a course in Advertising and Marketing and specialized in account management and client servicing. Before cross-cultural training, she has worked for over 5 years as a Client servicing professional with leading advertising agencies in India dealing with many high profile international brands. She has traveled extensively in Europe and brings to dfa her knowledge of dealing with people from different cultures.

Ms. Srivastava is primarily a Delhi resident though lived for many years in Kolkata during her childhood. She was a student at Miranda House, Delhi University and graduated in BA English Literature. In 2000 she moved to Europe with her family where she spent several years. She lived in Dublin, Ireland where she was actively involved in local community events. Her family was the only Indian family in the neighborhood and very often she was the first Indian that many of her Irish neighbors had met. She later become a cultural ambassador of India and started conducting India workshops for families in the local schools to talk about Indian life and culture.

Chitra Sundaram Danger

Chitra Sundaram Danger is a Cross Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She brings over 18 years of training experience in her areas of expertise. She has been a leader in her field of expertise, working with US and Indian multi-national companies, to improve their operations with their counterparts. Her main focus is on assisting executives from India to understand and interact effectively with colleagues and clients from US and Europe and vice versa.

Ms. Danger has a MBA from the Loyola University of Chicago, with core competency in the international service industry. She is a visiting faculty at Indian Institute of Management (IIM-B), Indian School of Business (ISB) in Hyderabad and at Garvin School of International Management in Phoenix, Arizona. She is empanelled as subject matter expert for the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), New Delhi and a member of SIETAR (Society for Intercultural Education Training and Research). Ms. Danger also writes regularly for many leading newspapers and magazines on "Protocol & Etiquette" and other behaviour and culture related issues arising in the business and social arena.

Alex Thompson

Alex Thompson is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. Her multicultural skills and expertise involves working with Indian and Western cultures.

Ms. Thompson has a Masters in teaching (PGCE Cambridge) and a graduation in Land Management from the Royal Agricultural College. She has been living and working in India for the past eight years plus. Her work here has been varied, enabling her to understand the challenges that India poses. Her experience with underprivileged children and the setting up of a Trust for them in Tamil Nadu has given her the insight into what India truly is at the ground level.

Jeremy Wong

Jeremy Wong is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. and as been working with multinational corporation s in China for over a decade. Jeremy’s diverse cultural profile has made him an ideal intercultural trainer who can deliver training in Mandarin, Cantonese, and English. His previous professional background working for Fortune 500 companies enables him to apply intercultural concepts to real life business scenarios, creating relevance for the participants. Building on his practical knowledge of the East and West cultures, Jeremy provides consultation for business executives to build relationships, enhance communication skills and understand business processes that have bridged differences between Chinese thinking and the Western business practices. By utilizing various delivery tools to enhance the learning experience, he strives to make each session both informative and enjoyable.

Jeremy is also a passionate traveler who has had adventures in over 45 countries in the world. He holds an M.B.A. degree and an award for “Trainer of the Year-Asia Pacific.” Jeremy has presented at conferences for SIETAR in Spain and the U.S., and he is based in Shanghai and Hong Kong so that he may serve his clients throughout the region.

David Wagner

David Wagner is a Senior Associates and Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. He has lived and worked in Japan since 1987, is widely acknowledged as a leading authority cross-cultural and communications skills. Over the past 20 years David has conducted over 2,000 seminars in Asia and North America for organizations. He has lectured extensively on business communication skills at a number of institutions, including Waseda University in Tokyo and the Institute of International Business and Management at the University of Maryland. He is also the author of 19 books in Japan on business communications and language usage with translations in Japanese, Korean and Chinese.

Early in Mr. Wagner's career he worked as a reporter for the Denver Post. Later in Japan, David Wagner became a columnist for the Mainichi Daily News and subsequently the Daily Yomiuri. He also created and hosted two nationally televised 3-month series on NHK on international business skills. David received a Masters Degree from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California, where he specialized in Japan's economic and political system.

Barbara West

Dr. Barbara West is a Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She received her Ph.D. in cultural anthropology in 1995 and has spent nearly 20 years lecturing, writing and consulting in the areas of culture, intercultural communications and gender. She is currently a Director on the board at The 100% Project, which works toward developing 100% of Australia’s leadership potential, female and male.

Previously, Barbara was an Associate Professor of International Studies at the University of the Pacific and primary trainer for the Pacific Institute of Cross Cultural Training. During her ten years at Pacific she received nine different awards for teaching excellence, concern for student learning and public speaking. She is the author/co-author of four books, including G’Day Boss! Australian Culture and the Workplace and The Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania, numerous academic and trade journal articles, and has presented her work at more than 35 academic and professional conferences.

Dina Zavrski-Makaric

Dina Zavrski-Makaric is Global Leadership Coach, a Senior Associate and Cross-Cultural Trainer with dfa Intercultural Global Solutions. She is specializes in the areas of intercultural transitions and global leadership. She brings with her a unique balance of personal and professional experience, and formal qualifications. Dina has 24 years of experience as a senior office professional in Croatia and Australia, collaborating closely with senior executives, providing assistance, advice and skills in the areas of Change Management, Corporate Communications and Human Resources. Dina has an excellent insight into the importance of leveraging cultural diversity to maximize opportunities and achieve personal and organizational goals. She works with executives and senior business professionals from a variety of countries including Australia, the UK, the US, Central and Eastern Europe and Asia.

Ms. Zavrski-Makaric holds a postgraduate degree in counseling, and has certificates in executive and life coaching. She trained with some of the experts from Australia, the US, the UK and Europe. She is a member of the Association for Coaching (UK), the International Coach Federation and the Australian Human Resources Institute. Dina is an active member of the European Professional Women's Network Think Tank on global mobility. She is also an author of a number of country guides and articles on cross-cultural transition and adjustment. Dina lives with her family in Sydney and delivers services to her clients globally.