Our Team
David Shirt
Chief Executive OfficerDavid has been in Japan for a total of 18 of the last 25 years and has worked in the equity market throughout at institutions such as JP Morgan Securities, Jefferies Japan, and lately Macquarie Capital Securities Japan Limited. In 2004 he became Head of Sales at JP Morgan Securities in Japan and Head of Equity in 2009. Later in 2014, David became the Branch Manager and Representative for Jefferies Japan, and from 2015 onwards he was employed as Country Head of Macquarie Capital Securities, (Japan) Limited. David majored in Japanese at the University of Sheffield in the UK and is proficient in Japanese.
Tom Wilson
Chief Financial OfficerTom has worked as an accountant in the financial services industry in Tokyo for more than 20 years. Initially coming to Japan for a role at Lehman Brothers, he then worked at Deutsche Bank and most recently at MetLife Insurance. He has held various senior finance roles in controlling, financial planning & analysis, and project management. Tom is a qualified accountant (CPA Australia) and is proficient in Japanese
Paula Sugawara
Head of Business ManagementPaula has spent over 30 years in Japan working mainly in financial services. She served as an equity analyst at Nomura Securities, Lehman Brothers, and Goldman Sachs before transitioning to the buy-side with Fidelity Investments. In the latter half of her career, Paula held management positions, including country manager of Bridge Partnership's talent development and Lee Hecht Harrison's outplacement and organizational development. Paula's primary focus is to drive the expansion of our talent base and implement a range of structures to support our growing organization.
Miyoko Nakamura
Senior Financial AdvisorWith 18 years of experience in the financial industry and is from Tokyo, Japan. Specializing in retirement planning and asset allocation, she combines market trends with diversified strategies to tailor financial plans for each client. She focuses on people-centered financial planning and is the main person responsible for Japanese clients who have immigrated to the U.S.
Reiko Akimoto
Senior Financial AdvisorWith over 13 years of experience in global financial markets and risk management, I have built a strong foundation in financial risk assessment, strategic planning, and advisory services. I previously served as a Risk Management Consultant at Citi Group. I hold the CFA and FRM certifications. Currently, I work as a Senior Financial Advisor, specializing in financial strategy planning and risk management consulting for clients.
Hans Tiedemann
Head of Business DevelopmentHans worked at Nikko Securities and James Capel before heading Morgan Stanley Tokyo's foreign equity and warrants sales desk. Additionally, he founded Tiedemann International Research, Asia's largest distributor of independent research, and later sold it to ETrade. Hans was also the President of Tiedemann Investment Group, a listed distributor and seed investor in global hedge funds. He has deep experience as a founder and investor in numerous businesses, including Globevest and CF Global. Hans focuses on fund distribution, product sourcing, and new business development.
Qi An
Senior Financial AdvisorQi has 8 years of experience in the equity market. She was a buyside analyst conducting fundamental research covering Pan Asia at the independent asset manager SPARX Group for approximately 5 years. Before that, she began her career with Rakuten Securities, an online brokerage firm, where she was responsible for trade promotions. Qi has a master’s degree from University of Tokyo, she is also a CFA Charterholder and fluent in Chinse, English and Japanese..
Hiroyuki Yokoyama
Head of Financial AdvisoryHiroyuki has been working extensively in financial markets, both domestic and offshore, for over 25 years. During his 10 years working at Macquarie Japan, where he collaborated closely with the founders of Astris Advisory Japan, he proactively sought business/cross-selling opportunities in the areas of cash equity sales and ECM-related businesses. He also worked for CLSA Japan, ABN AMRO, and Deutsche Bank, both in Australia and in London. Hiroyuki can work with both domestic and offshore asset managers, pension funds, institutions, and corporates to provide any financial services required..
Neil Newman
Investment Advisory (Head of Strategy)Neil is an expert commentator and seasoned strategist on Japanese and pan-Asia equities markets. With a long career tenure focusing on equity and derivative markets for a cumulative 40 years– 22 years in Tokyo, 12 years in Hong Kong, and 6 years split between London and New York, his macro thematic and macroeconomic investment strategies draw on first-hand experiences starting from the boom of the 1980s at the debut of his career. Neil is highly regarded in the industry, and his insights are regularly sought by international media organizations as well as major global investors.