Meet Joyce Millet

About Joyce

With more than two decades of experience managing and directing Cultural Savvy, a global cross-cultural training and coaching firm, Joyce Millet has helped organizations across industries navigate the complexities of international business. Prior to founding Cultural Savvy, she spent ten years as a marketing consultant in Asia: advising executives, leading marketing initiatives, building partnerships, and gaining firsthand insight into how cultural dynamics shape business outcomes. These formative years laid the foundation for her approach: blending business strategy with cultural intelligence to reduce hidden risks and improve global collaboration.

Joyce has dedicated her career to understanding the profound impact culture has on success, especially in the international arena. She’s seen firsthand how cultural dynamics can make or break a venture, and it’s this deep conviction that drives her work.

As the founder of Cultural Savvy, she doesn’t just teach or advise — she orchestrates. Like a conductor bringing out the best from each section of an orchestra, Joyce harmonizes diverse perspectives and ensures alignment across borders, functions, and leadership styles. Her work is about more than awareness — it’s about creating cultural fluency that delivers business results.

She is also deeply involved in client engagements — from initial conversations and program design to delivery oversight and follow-up — ensuring each initiative aligns with client goals and delivers lasting impact.

She is passionate about equipping leaders with the cultural savvy they need to thrive — helping them reduce risk, strengthen relationships, and succeed in diverse global environments. For Joyce, cultural intelligence is not just a competitive advantage — it’s essential for long-term impact.

Education and Recognition

Joyce holds a B.S. in Political Science from the University of Utah and an M.B.A. in International Business from Golden Gate University. After additional graduage work in Asian Studies at the University of Utah, she had the opportunity to participate in a three-month study abroad program that took the group to almost every Asian country.

She received the Key to the City of Osaka for her work advancing U.S.–Japan relations and was formally honored by the mayors of Seoul and Taipei for her leadership of the San Francisco Boys Chorus Asian Concert Tour in partnership with the San Francisco Sister Cities Association.

More About Joyce

Ms. Millet has been interviewed by numerous media outlets, including the Asahi Shimbun, Fuji Evening News, and the San Francisco Business Times. She also had the opportunity to interview the former Japanese Consul General in San Francisco about the power of sports in building diplomacy—an interview that coincided with the 2002 NFL preseason game held in Osaka between the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins. The event marked the 45th anniversary of the San Francisco–Osaka Sister City relationship.

Presentation Highlights

• WISE – “The Road to Beijing” (Insights from supporting the U.S. Olympic Committee in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Games)
• Rotary Club of Osaka – “Challenges for International Business Women in Japan” (presented in Japanese)
• Rotary Club of San Carlos, California – “Cross-cultural Training: A Formula for Success”
• Yuri International, Tokyo – “A Failure to Communicate”
• Executive Business Network Annual Retreat – Keynote: “Destination—Japan”

To read what clients and colleagues say about Joyce’s impact, visit her  Words of Praise page.