Management

Huw Thomas

SVP, Head of Corporate Development Services, EMEA

Huw heads up our Oxford-based Corporate Development Services group across the EMEA region and is responsible for the delivery of innovation, investment, business development and market research initiatives for our Asian corporate clients in Europe. A fluent Japanese speaker, Huw lived in Japan for 20 years before moving back to the UK in 2015. He was previously the Managing Director of our Tokyo office where he oversaw our operations in Japan and implemented and delivered entry strategies for western technology companies expanding into the country with a specific focus on the semiconductor, automotive, industrial, and telecoms spaces.

Prior to Intralink, Huw worked for the Sanyo Semiconductor Company in Japan in both technical and commercial roles, and at a Japanese start-up in the field of security and biometrics where he sold into corporate and government clients across North America and Europe. At the weekends, when not coaching his son’s football team or indulging in a kick-about himself, Huw enjoys escaping to the mountains of Eryri in his native North Wales for hiking and recharging.

Alex Gover

EVP, Head of Business Development, EMEA

Alex leads our EMEA Business Development team, and has commercial oversight of our all our Europe and Middle East client engagements. As a Japanese speaker, he was formerly based in our Tokyo office where he developed and implemented market expansion strategies across a range of sectors, including semiconductors, telecommunications, and enterprise software.

Alex read Japanese, Chinese and Economics at Oxford and also Advanced Japanese at Sophia University in Japan. He has worked in and with Asia for the past 30 years, including for Sony's International Marketing Division in Tokyo.

Alex is a failed stand-up comedian.

Jonathan Cleave

EVP, Regional Managing Director, APAC

Jonathan oversees Intralink’s operations across APAC from our Seoul office. Originally from the UK, he moved to Korea in 2004 and after completing his Masters at Seoul National University, he was awarded the Korean Government Scholarship to do his Ph.D. on South Korean industrial policy.

He has helped hundreds of companies across a wide range of sectors to enter the markets of East Asia. He heads up Intralink’s Energy & Environment Practice and has helped many energy-related companies with their Asia strategies, from licensing their technologies to large industrial conglomerates to building out local manufacturing facilities and supply chains.

Jonathan is chairman of the Association of American State Offices in Korea and sits on the board of the British Tech Advisors (B.TA), a Singapore-based organisation linking UK technology founders & investors across the Asia Pacific.

Narai Kim

Deputy Managing Director, Korea

Narai has considerable experience in helping companies expand internationally, with a focus on South Korea’s energy sector, advanced materials and sustainability. She was previously a Senior Researcher at the National Academy of Engineering of Korea (NAEK), where she managed cross-border technology collaboration projects between global research institutions, governments and industry.

In recognition of her dedication in this field, Narai was awarded the Chevening Scholarship by the UK Government to further her academic studies in the UK, gaining an MSc in Strategic Innovation Management from the University of Sussex.

Paul Dupont

VP, Business Development

Paul is based in London and works with our clients in the UK, Ireland and France. He speaks fluent Mandarin, French and English, and was based in Shanghai and Taipei from 2010 - 2018 helping Western companies buy and sell a wide range of high-tech products and services, including lasers, logistics, and even laundry management systems.

Paul has also previously led the global sales team of a high-growth British SaaS startup, and holds a BSc in Physics from the University of St Andrews, and an MSc in Optics & Nanotechnology.

Zhao Le

Managing Director, China

Since joining Intralink, Zhao has worked with numerous clients to identify and secure deals and partners across multiple sectors including consumer electronics, telecoms, medical device, RTLS, retail design and sports equipment. Zhao heads our FDI initiatives in China. She has successfully conducted investment site surveys for US investors, investment promotion initiatives for EDOs from the US and MENA regions. She has also acted as interim general manager for MNCs’ China entities.

Zhao Le has a degree in Marketing from Dalian University and an MA in Business Management from Kingston University in the UK. She enjoys rock climbing, indoor and outdoor. She is fluent in English and based in our Shanghai office.

William Jasprizza

SVP, Managing Director, Japan

Will heads up our Japan team and oversees the delivery of all our client projects in Japan. Since joining Intralink in 2008 Will has delivered deals for clients across sectors including telecoms, automotive, healthcare and quantum computing. As the head of the Intralink IPR team, Will is also responsible for licensing, patent acquisition and tech transfer projects across Asia.

Will has lived in Japan since 1997. He graduated from Sydney University with a BSc (Biochemistry) and LLB (Hons). In a previous life he was a litigation lawyer and co-founded an ed-tech startup. He is a fluent Japanese speaker and based in our Tokyo office.

Richard Lyle

VP, Deputy Managing Director, Japan

Richard heads up our Government Services group, maintaining client relationships and ensuring consistent delivery across all our offices in Asia. He is also involved in energy, materials and industrial projects, so works with clients on projects related to hydrogen, batteries and smart materials.

Richard has an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College and has spent most of his career in Japan in International trade roles and is a fluent Japanese speaker. He is President of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan and enjoys the beach and barbecuing in his spare time.

Noel Pritchard

SVP, Head of Corporate Development Services, Japan; Group Sustainability Officer

Noel heads up our Corporate Development and Business Development Consulting Unit in Japan.
Since founding the practice with Intralink CEO in 2015, he has played a key role in building the unit into a strategic lynchpin, personally winning new business with over 30 Japanese corporate accounts in the process. He continues to influence global strategy and service development. He concurrently holds the post of Group Sustainability Officer where he is responsible for Intralink’s Net Zero and Sustainability strategy.

Originally from the UK, Noel first moved to Japan in 1997. He has a first in Japanese language and studies from Southampton University and an MBA from INSEAD. Prior to joining Intralink, Noel worked in presales and consulting roles for Vodafone Global Enterprise and Verizon Business. In his spare time, Noel likes to exercise, play video games and enjoy nature.

Renata Naurzalieva

Director of Operations, Japan

Renata runs operations for the Japan office and oversees projects in software & cloud and telecom sectors as part of the Market Expansion services team. She works with startups and scaleups offering solutions in cybersecurity, AI, IoT, robotics, Industry 4.0 and enterprise software.

Renata moved to Japan in 2014 and joined Intralink in 2015. She has a MSc in International Accounting and Finance from Cass Business School of City University of London and a BSc in Economics from Moscow State Lomonosov University. Renata is fluent in Japanese and can speak four other languages.

Charles Cielo

VP, Director

Charles Cielo oversees the Intralink Japan Med Tech and Life Sciences team, directing the delivery of life science, IVD, medical device and pharmaceuticals-related projects in Japan. He has experience in discovering, cultivating and closing up to USD million deals in these spaces, including transactions such as technology platform and drug licensing, RUO product sales, research and clinical research service provision, and strategic partnerships.

A bioengineer by training, a scientist by vocation, and a businessman by trade, Charles worked in multinational Big Pharma prior to joining Intralink. He currently specialises in helping overseas healthcare companies find their place in the unique and sophisticated Japanese healthcare ecosystem. Charles is proficient in three languages and has been living in Japan since the year 2000.

David Royer

VP, Director

David leads our Digital Media Practice, overseeing our global specialists who assist western adtech, martech and broadcasting companies wanting to develop and implement Asia expansion programmes.

Based in Tokyo, he has helped international advertising platforms and other software startups land their first deals with organisations including Yahoo! Japan, Rakuten and Dentsu.

He has a background in advertising and technology, having worked for both a big media firm and a cutting-edge augmented reality startup.

David is originally from Montreal and speaks English, French and Japanese. He studied International Business in Canada before moving to Japan. When not helping western companies win deals, he enjoys spending time with his two children, attending Asia League ice hockey games and cooking tacos on Tuesdays.

Ayoub Ouahidi

Director of Operations, Korea

Ayoub has lived in Korea for over 9 years and is based in our Seoul office. He focuses on projects related to fuel cells, automotive, materials and IP, helping western firms in these fields grow revenues, find partners and develop long-term business partnerships in Korea. Prior to joining Intralink, Ayoub worked for one of Korea’s largest construction firms, liaising between Korean contractors and international consultants on overseas infrastructure projects.

He achieved a Master’s in engineering and management from Mines Saint Etienne in France and Seoul National University and is fluent in five languages including Korean.

Alex Barton

Managing Director, Southeast Asia & Taiwan

Alex leads our Southeast Asia and Taiwan teams, overseeing the delivery of our client projects in these markets. He’s developed and executed revenue-generating market entry strategies for clients, established partnerships and won ‘design-ins’ in the software, energy, medtech & life sciences, materials, and automotive fields. Originally from the UK and raised in Belgium, Alex has lived in Asia for over 15 years and is a fluent Mandarin speaker. He has a BA in Chinese studies, an MA in international business and an MBA.

Tommy Shiekman

SVP, Head of Business Development, North America

Tommy has worked in and with Asia for his entire career. He received a degree in East Asian Studies from Dickinson College and worked in China for ten years. He spent seven years with Intralink Shanghai, during which he secured millions of dollars in revenues for clients across a range of sectors including automotive, CE, semiconductors and industrial.

Tommy relocated to Silicon Valley in 2017 to drive the growth of our North America business, and during this time has built a strong network of entrepreneurs, VCs, and accelerators.

Oren Bernstein

VP, Business Development, North America

Oren heads up our global Software and Cloud practice and is engaged in business development for all three of Intralink’s service offerings in North America – working with our Market Entry, Corporate Development, and Trade & Investment clients. Since moving back to the US, Oren has run business development programmes for software and hardware-based innovators in fields as varied as information security, telematics, video streaming, smart factories, construction machinery, electric mobility and renewable energy. Previously a member of Intralink’s Tokyo team, he secured deals for clients in the EV mobility, construction machinery, solar energy, enterprise software and cybersecurity spaces.

Originally from New York City, Oren lived in Japan for 7 years and has worked in Japan/East Asia business development for over 20 years in both government and private sector settings. He graduated with a BA in International Relations and a minor in East Asian studies from Tufts University and is a fluent Japanese speaker. After years of being away, he is now back to enjoying the fresh seafood and cold winters of New England.

Kris Miller

VP, Head of Delivery, Corporate Development Service

Kris heads our Corporate Development delivery group in North America, managing projects that help corporate clients build new businesses and close partnerships at startup pace. He previously worked in pre-commercial business development with an R&D startup and in investment attraction and export promotion for JETRO, and he holds a Master’s of Science in biomedical engineering from the University of California Irvine.

You can find him on the weekends cycling about the streets of Los Angeles and shuttling his kids to the local attractions.

Graham Barker

SVP, Head of Medtech & Life Sciences

Graham heads our global Medtech & Life Sciences practice, and is responsible for business development teams in EMEA , North America and Singapore, and for the overall sector strategy. He has wide-ranging experience across the sector and a 30-year track record of helping European companies develop global sales, licensing and sourcing strategies – in recent years focused specifically on Asia.

Based in the UK, Graham has a degree in chemistry from Bristol University and extensive professional experience in chemicals, automotive, packaging and plastics in addition to medical technology and life sciences.

In his spare time, you can find him travelling to the more remote parts of the world and visiting family in Australia.

Michal Waszkiewicz

VP, Head of Marketing

Michal heads up Intralink's global marketing team. He's a double Master’s degree holder: in Korean Philology (UAM Poznan) and in International Business and Marketing (HUFS Seoul). He lived in Seoul 2008 - 2017 where he was working extensively in the digital advertising space with the top Korean ad agencies and brands. He also has experience in managing projects related to ESS, electronics, enterprise software and retail.

Michal speaks fluent Polish, English and Korean, and is based in Intralink's head office in the UK.

Michal Witkowski

VP, Business Development

Michal is responsible for our Engagements in Europe and heads up our Industrial & Materials practice. He spent 12 years in Korea, where he was formerly Project Director at Intralink’s Seoul office, working in industrial, energy and software applications.

Prior to this, Michal was a manager at a large Korean software company, a consultant with Samsung Electronics’ appliances division, and a manager at a Korean tier-2 manufacturing company supplying LG Electronics.

Michal is fluent in Korean, English and Polish. He studied linguistics and international relations in Poland and Korea, and holds an Executive MBA from Atlanta Georgia State University and Poznań University of Economics. Michal enjoys wilderness hiking, Cross-training, and Wing Tsun – a Chinese martial art. He is also training to become a certified dog behaviourist.

Solomon Bergen-Bartel

VP, Business Development, Medtech & Life Sciences

Sol leads our medtech and life science business development in North America. He has worked with Intralink clients across industries including diagnostics, biopharma, medical devices, food & agtech, software, semicon and wireless. While in Asia, he served as director of operations for Greater China and led project initiatives covering the China, South Korea and Japan markets.

Sol has a degree in molecular biology from the University of Virginia and first came to China in 2002 where he studied Chinese at Shanghai Jiaotong University. He joined Intralink Shanghai in January 2007 and relocated to Boston in 2017. In his free time, he enjoys cycling and running.

Stewart Randall

VP, Director of Operations, China

Stewart was born in the UK but has lived in China for well over a decade and is a fluent Mandarin speaker. He is Intralink’s Head of Electronics having closed multiple deals for semiconductor clients in Asia. He has also worked in business development and market analysis roles for clients in various sectors including, mobile comms (networks and smartphones), consumer electronics, software, cloud solutions, and cleantech. He has closed deals for clients in semiconductor IP, EDA tools, embedded software, and database technology. He is an avid writer on the Chinese semiconductor industry and a member of Britcham’s Innovation Committee.

Rebecca Eustace

VP, Director of Finance

Rebecca is an AAT and ACCA-qualified finance director with over 30 years of experience in the field. She heads up Intralink's global finance team and is responsible for the company's financial consolidation. She also carries out the company secretary duties and oversees human resources.

Rebecca had started her career in finance at Oxford Instruments and had worked across many industries, including agriculture, sports & leisure, retail and food & beverage, before joining Intralink in 2015.

She is based in Intralink's Oxfordshire headquarters.