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 Lesa Gale (Australia) and Deputy Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs Mitsutoshi Kajikawa (Japan).

Deputy Commissioner Lesa Gale was appointed to the role of Deputy Commissioner in March 2023 and currently leads the Australian Federal Police’s Global Operations and Regional Security (GORS) portfolio. With a distinguished policing career spanning more than three decades, Deputy Commissioner Gale brings deep expertise across national and international investigations, community policing, victim‑based crime, protection operations, specialist capabilities, and national security. 

In her current role, Deputy Commissioner Gale leads efforts to strengthen international partnerships, and advance collective efforts to combat and deter serious and organised crime across borders. She provides strategic leadership in addressing human exploitation in all its forms, including through the AFP‑led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation, and drives the AFP’s Pacific Strategy, incorporating bilateral policing partnerships and the Pacific Policing Initiative.

Deputy Commissioner Gale also leads the AFP’s national security posture in areas such as aviation protection and AUKUS, and oversees a globally deployed workforce of more than 200 AFP members across over 35 countries. 

Deputy Commissioner Gale is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Police Management’s flagship program, the Australia New Zealand Police Leadership Strategy, the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and holds a Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Management (2017). She received the Australian Police Medal (APM) in the 2019 Australia Day Honours, and throughout her career has been awarded five Commissioner Group Citations for Conspicuous Conduct and two Australia Day Medallions.

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.