Melanie Brock honoured by the Government of Japan with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon

Bondi Partners is enormously proud to announce that our Senior Adviser, Melanie Brock AM, has been conferred the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon by the Government of Japan, as part of the 2026 Spring Conferment of Decorations announced on 29 April 2026.

The Order of the Rising Sun is one of Japan’s most prestigious civilian honors, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji as the country’s first national order of merit. It is bestowed on individuals — Japanese and foreign nationals alike — who have rendered distinguished service to Japan in fields such as diplomacy, business, culture, education, and community building. The Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon is the third class of the Order and is reserved for recipients whose contributions to Japan are deemed especially significant — placing Melanie among a very select group of Australians ever recognized at this level.

For Melanie, who has called Japan home for more than three decades, this honor caps a remarkable career devoted to deepening commercial, cultural and people-to-people ties between Australia and Japan. A graduate of the University of Western Australia and a Master of Conference Interpreting and Translation, she has spent over 30 years building bridges between the two countries — most visibly as Chair, and now Chair Emeritus, of the Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ANZCCJ), where she served for over six years. She is also a long-standing member of the Australia Japan Business Co-operation Committee (AJBCC) and an Advance Global Ambassador.

Today Melanie sits on the boards of some of Japan’s largest listed companies — including Asahi Group Holdings, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Estate and Sega Sammy Holdings — making her one of the most senior non-Japanese, non-executive directors operating in corporate Japan. Her work in the Tohoku region following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake earned her honorary ambassadorships in several towns in the affected area, and her advocacy for women in Japanese business and society has been recognized across the bilateral community.

The Rising Sun honor follows her 2020 Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation and her 2022 appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), making her a uniquely decorated figure in the Australia–Japan relationship.

Melanie joined Bondi Partners as a Senior Adviser in 2025, leading the firm’s Japan engagement and supporting clients on cross-border strategy, investment and government affairs. Her arrival significantly deepened our capability in one of Australia’s most important strategic and economic relationships.

On behalf of everyone at Bondi Partners we extend our warmest congratulations. This honor is richly deserved, and it reflects not only Melanie’s extraordinary professional achievements but the warmth, energy and genuine cross-cultural fluency she brings to everything she does.

Omedetō gozaimasu, Melanie.