In 2007, Courtney Lakstins was appointed as senior investment commissioner to lead the Australian government-s foreign direct investment program for North-East Asia, the youngest person ever to be appointed to the position.
During her four years in the role, Mrs Lakstins was involved in attracting $3.5 billion of foreign investment to Australia, including Chubu Electric and Kyushu Electric’s investments in the Gorgon LNG project.
Mrs Lakstins has strong interest and expertise in Japanese culture and language, beginning with a Rotary exchange to Nagasaki as a teenager, and continuing with advanced study in the language.
Mrs Lakstins now leads business development in Western Australia for Clayton Utz, where she continues to be an innovator in a highly conservative industry.