Kreab Gavin Anderson brings on Jonathan Kushner as new partner in Japan

At KGA, Kushner will provide strategic advice to clients in corporate communications, financial PR and public affairs.

Columbia Unversity-educated Kushner (pictured) hails from the US, but speaks fluent Japanese. His experience with leading financial services and technology companies spans across Asia, and has a particular focus on public affairs, government relations, public private partnerships, and corporate social responsibility initiatives.

Before his Chartis Insurance role, Kushner was regional vice president of  government affairs, Japan and Korea, for AIG. Prior to this, he worked for Microsoft Asia Pacific, where he was responsible for policy, business development and strategic project engagement in public-private partnerships. Prior to the regional posting, Kushner was government affairs manager for Microsoft in Japan.

Kushner says KGA is keen to help Japan further recover after the devastating earthquake and tsunami. "In the eyes of many consumers, the safety damage after the nuclear crisis in Japan has caused damage to many Japanese brands and we looking to leverage our strong networks in major cities in Asia to help build cross-border opportunities in the public affairs sector,” he said.

“We are delighted to welcome Jon on board," said Deborah Hayden, the agency's managing partner Japan. "His experience at some of the leading companies in the region will add another layer of depth to our advisory work for Japanese and international clients across all of our practice areas.”