Anna Dingley

Anna’s links between Japan and the UK extend over 30 years. Her connections started with a degree in Japanese and Business at the University of Sheffield in the 90s, and she has since worked in a wide range of roles in government, finance and for individual companies. She has lived in Japan for eight years, in Kagoshima ken on the JET programme, then Kyoto city for Kyoto Research Park, and then in Nagoya where she managed the UK Pavilion at the Aichi Expo in 2005. In Tokyo she worked as a Director for the London Stock Exchange and then JPMorgan.

Anna has served as a non-executive board member for Japanese and British companies. She previously served as a trustee for The Japan Society but had to leave her term early as she moved to America. She is currently on the Creative Steering Committee for the UK Pavilion at the Osaka Expo 2025, and on the board of the JPMorgan Japanese Equity Trust.

Alongside her work she has taken part in many sporting challenges around the world. She was inspired by the Hakone Ekiden celebrating its 100th event to launch an Ekiden in the UK to further strengthen the links between the UK and Japan. The inaugural UK Ekiden was launched in June 2024, with 18 teams from Oxford to Windsor along the Thames Path. Anna’s focus is now on developing the UK Ekiden with university and corporate partners to ensure the UK Ekiden can also continue for 100 years.