For Australian businesses experiencing supply chain volatility and disruptions, visit the Go Global Toolkit for the latest updates and support available.
Jennifer Mackinlay
General Manager Northeast Asia and Minister (Commercial)
Jennifer Mackinlay is General Manager, Northeast Asia for the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) and Minister (Commercial) at the Australian Embassy in Tokyo. Based in Japan, she leads Austrade's operations across Japan, the Republic of Korea and Mongolia, advancing Australia's trade, investment and commercial interests in one of the world's most strategically important regions.
Jennifer brings more than a decade of executive leadership experience with Austrade and an international career in Europe and the United Kingdom. Since joining Austrade in 2015, she has held senior leadership roles working with governments, businesses and investors to strengthen Australia's global economic engagement and support Australian companies seeking international growth opportunities.
Prior to her current appointment, Jennifer served as General Manager, UK, Europe and Israel, based in Paris, where she led a network of trade and investment professionals across 12 offices. During her tenure, she and her teams played an important role in advancing Australia's economic diplomacy and market access objectives, including advocacy relating to the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement and the Australia-European Union Free Trade Agreement.
Earlier, Jennifer served as Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner for the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Nordics, and previously for France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Luxembourg. Across these roles, she championed Australian commercial interests, helped Australian businesses expand internationally and promoted Australia as a destination for trade, investment and strategic partnerships.
Before joining Austrade, Jennifer spent 15 years with leading international law firm Clifford Chance in Paris, specialising in mergers and acquisitions and private equity. She subsequently led the firm's strategy, client development, marketing and communications functions across France, Turkey and Africa, advising on growth, market positioning and international client engagement.
Jennifer holds Arts and Law degrees from the University of Sydney and is qualified to practise law in both Australia and France. After living in Europe for three decades, she relocated to Japan in 2026. She speaks French, Italian and Spanish.