Co-Chairs

The APG has a permanent and a rotating Co-Chair. The permanent chair is held by Australia, as host and supporting member jurisdiction of the Secretariat, and the rotating chair is appointed for a two-year term by the membership. The current Co-Chairs are Deputy Commissioner Ian McCartney (Australia) and Deputy Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs Mitsutoshi Kajikawa (Japan).

Deputy Commissioner Ian McCartney has been a member of the Australian Federal Police for over 30 years. Prior to joining the AFP, Ian worked as an accountant, obtaining the status of Certified Practicing Accountant. Ian has diverse experience with the AFP in national and international economic and organised crime investigations, and has participated in a number of taskforces involving Federal and State law enforcement agencies. Roles have included Coordinator of the AFP narcotic strike teams in Melbourne, Manager of the AFP Adelaide Office, and AFP Senior Liaison Officer in China.

Ian was awarded with the Australian Police Medal as part of the 2014 Queen’s Birthday Honours in recognition of his distinguished service, particularly in the areas of law enforcement liaison in Asia, and for his role in national investigations.

Mitsutoshi (Toshi) Kajikawa currently serves as the Deputy Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs at Japan’s Ministry of Finance (MOF). In this role, he oversees critical areas including anti-money laundering (AML), counter-terrorism financing (CFT), and counter-proliferation financing (CPF), while leading Japan's delegation to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

As Co-Chair of the APG, Toshi's priorities over the next two years include:

1. Preparation for APG’s 4th Round of Mutual Evaluations: Ensuring APG members are fully prepared for the successful launch of its 4th round of mutual evaluations, which are essential for assessing member countries' compliance with international AML/CFT/CPF standards.
2. Strengthening AML/CFT/CPF Regimes: Enhancing the effectiveness of these regimes across the APG region through targeted assistance and fostering collaboration with other FATF-style Regional Bodies (FSRBs).
3. Responding to Financial Evolution: Monitoring and addressing the challenges and opportunities presented by digital transformation in financial technologies to ensure AML/CFT/CPF measures remain robust and effective.

Toshi brings a wealth of expertise to his role in advancing the APG's mission, backed by an extensive career at the MOF, where he has worked in areas such as financial regulation, fiscal analysis, budget management, and government reform. His recent efforts have focused on multilateral financial cooperation, including leading negotiations to strengthen a currency swap arrangement for liquidity support among ASEAN+3 nations.

Previous rotating Co-Chairs have come from the following APG members:

• Philippines, Department of Foreign Affairs, 1998-2000;
• Malaysia, Central Bank of Malaysia, 2000-2002;
• Korea, Korea Financial Intelligence Unit, 2002-2004;
• Japan, Japan Financial Intelligence Office, Financial Services Agency, 2004-2006;
• Indonesia, Indonesian Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre, 2006-2008;
• Singapore, Commercial Affairs Department, 2008-2010;
• India, Directorate of Enforcement, 2010-2012;
• China, Anti-Money Laundering Bureau of the People’s Bank of China, 2012-2014;
• New Zealand, Ministry of Justice, 2014-2016;
• Sri Lanka, Central Bank of Sri Lanka, 2016-2018;
• Bangladesh, Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit, 2018-2020;
• Malaysia, Bank Negara Malaysia, 2020-2022;
• Canada, Department of Finance Canada, 2022-2024.