Hendrik Gordenker is chairman of JERA, the trading company formed as a joint partnership between Japanese utility companies Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) and Chubu Electric Power Company. The comprehensive alliance aims to become one of the world’s leading energy companies by securing a stable supply of energy for Japan and beyond on an internationally competitive basis. He acted as senior advisor to JERA from its founding in April 2015 until being appointed chairman in April 2016.

Mr. Gordenker first lived in Japan in the early 1980s, establishing a lifelong connection with the country. He studied law and international affairs at Columbia Law School and Princeton University, and began practicing law in Washington, D.C. in 1988. He focused on Japan-related matters, and gained considerable experience in L.N.G. and power project development.

In 2000, Mr. Gordenker joined White & Case as a partner at the global law firm’s Tokyo Office. There, he built a highly regarded energy and project finance team, and became known regionally and globally as a leading energy lawyer, with particular expertise in L.N.G. and power. Mr Gordenker’s work increasingly focused on strategic matters, and from 2015, he began acting as an independent strategic advisor.