Event Recap: BBA2026 Pre-Launch Soirée

Written by Sterling Content.

The lead up to the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan’s 2026 British Business Awards (BBA) has begun, with the hosting of a pre-launch soirée to showcase the winners of last year’s accolades.

BCCJ Executive Director Sarah Backley invited attendees to get involved with this year’s gala, 'the flagship event honouring the resilient nature of the ever-evolving relationship between the UK and Japan,' scheduled for November 13 at Fairmont Tokyo.

She thanked the event’s launch partners, UK Expat Tax, Tokamak Energy, Range Rover and Walk Japan, and in-kind sponsors, Coachbuilt Whisky, Mandarin Oriental Tokyo, Nyetimber, Vega Japan and Whisk-E Limited, for their support.

Mark Dytham, co-founder and director of Klein Dytham architecture (KDa), kicked off the evening’s presentations with an introduction to his company’s projects, including Cartier’s façade in Ginza and Daikanyama T-Site, and brainchild, PechaKucha, the presentation format that all subsequent speakers would follow.

PechaKucha was ideated as a way for architects and designers to share their latest works using 20 slides shown for 20 seconds each. Since its launch in Roppongi in 2003, it has become a global phenomenon, with some 400,000 presentations delivered in more than 1,350 cities. The word, which means chit-chat in Japanese, was entered into the Oxford English Dictionary in 2025. Dytham attributed PechaKucha’s success to its simplicity, which 'gives all speakers a level playing field.'

The British School in Tokyo

The British School in Tokyo, last year’s Company of the Year, was represented by Nora Yamada, Assistant Head for Development, Partnerships & Alumni. One of the top 100 private schools in the world according to the Spear’s Schools Index 2026, the non-profit organisation aims to nurture the talents and gifts of every child in its care, from age three to 18.

At both campuses - Azabudai Hills and Sangenjaya - students are engaged in holistic learning, with a range of opportunities to find and develop their passions through a carefully planned curriculum, a wide variety of clubs and a range of extra-curricular and super-curricular activities. Some options are delivered via partnerships, including with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Tokyo Symphony Orchestra.

'Whenever we meet experts and interesting people, we bring them into the school so that our children can be inspired, whatever their talents or aspirations,' Yamada said.

Older students undertake the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and work experience, and many move on to top-ranked universities around the world.

Tokamak Energy

Dr Toru Fukushima, Vice President and Country Manager of Tokamak Energy KK, winner of the New Market Entrant category, outlined his company’s vision to bring clean, secure energy to the world.

The Japanese subsidiary of UK-based Tokamak Energy, which was founded as a spin-out from the UK Atomic Energy Authority, is innovating in fusion energy, the process that powers the sun. To create this energy, it is developing high-temperature superconducting magnets that can be cooled down while in use, allowing them to generate very high magnetic fields continuously, even in compact spaces.

Fukushima said Tokamak’s technology could have important applications, including in the discovery of drugs, use of medical scanners and powering of data centres, which could support human development and global decarbonisation efforts.

TG Octopus Energy

A joint venture between Octopus Energy and Tokyo Gas, TG Octopus Energy scooped the UK–Japan Partnership award for combining British tech-driven renewable energy with local market operations. Chief Customer Officer Paul Sands said its aim is to provide green energy and make the sector more amenable to green technology, such as through the use of solar panels.

In the UK, Octopus’ achievements include becoming the largest energy provider in 2024 and winning the Which? Recommended Provider Award for nine consecutive years. In Japan, the joint venture has approximately 500,000 customers and 150 staff.

Sands credited the success to technology that enables operators to handle queries largely without call transfers and a culture that values staff using their initiative to make appropriate decisions for customers at the time.

'Octopus is about bringing your true self to work,' he said, likening the team to a dry-stone wall; because all the stones are different, they lock together to create a strong, enduring structure.  

KiFor

Francis Fung, who won Entrepreneur of the Year, introduced his efforts to deliver social impact workshops through his company KiFor KK, and to support charities in Japan.

Across the country, one in six children live in poverty, and single mothers have among the highest poverty rates in the OECD, despite their workforce participation being the highest, at 85%. Small, local charities are trying to help, he explained, but often don’t receive sufficient support.

Inspired by a volunteering experience at an orphanage, Fung decided to connect global companies to these small charities by offering social impact workshops. He also sources items such as laptops and back-to-school kits. Noting that even small actions can make a difference, Fung called on attendees to help 'create a culture of giving back to society.'

Walk Japan

Paul Christie, CEO of Walk Japan, introduced the company’s approach to community that resulted in it being awarded the BBA for Responsible Business.

Walk Japan was founded in 1992 by two university professors in Hong Kong who decided to offer off-the-beaten path walking tours after visiting the Nakasendo Way. Since 2002, its operational headquarters have been in Kunisaki, a rural peninsula of Oita Prefecture, where it employs 38 people of multiple nationalities.

Alongside operations, the company plays a vital role in regional revitalisation. It cultivates about six hectares of land, which produce rice and shiitake mushrooms annually, and renovates akiya (empty or abandoned properties); its first such project, Komori-tei, is used as one of the company’s offices. By invitation, it has also developed tours in areas affected by natural disasters, such as Tohoku and Noto, to support recovery efforts.

Vega Japan

Event sponsor Vega Japan was represented by Ben Lovell, sales director, who shared the history of Vega Global, which marks its 40th anniversary this year. The company began in Hong Kong, selling overhead projectors to schools and universities.

With the release of PowerPoint in 1987, presentations became the format of choice for business, which shaped the development of meeting rooms. While some spaces were focused on conveying hierarchy, others were designed around screens, based on philosopher Marshall McLuhan’s idea, 'the medium is the message,' said Lovell.

For Vega, though, a meeting room’s function is to facilitate engagement and communication; screen and audio technology should simply be running in the background. That’s why the company now specialises in digital workplace systems, audiovisual solutions, video conferencing and collaboration technologies, helping people come together.

Mandarin Oriental Tokyo

Situated in the heart of historic Nihonbashi, Mandarin Oriental Tokyo boasts views of Skytree and Mt. Fuji and has been awarded the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star rating for the hotel and spa for 12 consecutive years, said Denis Frupp, the Hotel Manager.

The property has 179 keys, including 22 suites, with interior design elements blending Japanese art and storytelling. Of the 10 F&B options, one highlight is the famous Pizza Bar on the 38th floor, ranked as the second-best pizzeria in the world by 50 Top Pizza. It offers a 'pizza omakase' tasting menu of individually crafted slices. Other popular experiences include the afternoon tea and intimate dinners in the wine cellar.

The spa features a vitality pool, sauna, steam room and treatment facilities. There are also 16 meeting rooms, with the largest able to accommodate 400 people standing or 200 people seated. For ballroom events, Mandarin Oriental Tokyo partners with Vega Japan to become the only hotel in Japan to offer 360° projection mapping for cinematic storytelling, said Frupp.

The full photo gallery of the Pre-Launch can be found here.