Our Team
David Shirt
CEODavid 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
CFOTom 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
COOPaula 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
Kazuya Kuramochi
Kazuya has more than 25 years of experience in the Japanese equity market. He started at Baring Securities in Tokyo in 1990 and then moved to ING Securities after the 1995 takeover. After ING's 2004 sale to Macquarie Bank, he joined Macquarie Capital Securities Japan until 2022. In senior roles, he oversaw all facets of the equities business, including risk, execution, and block trading, fostering a broad network across equity trading desks and cultivating relationships with institutional investors and listed corporate clients. As the Nikkei continues to hit new highs, Kazuya is your perfect connection to the Japanese market.
Saina Chiba
Fund PlacementSaina has been working in the financial industry for over a decade. She began her career at Bloomberg Tokyo, where she served as a Team Leader. Following her tenure at Bloomberg, she joined the Equity Sales team at Mizuho Securities, where she collaborated closely with both the Equity Research and Corporate Access teams, catering to both domestic and international clients. Her expertise and dedication eventually led her to the sales trading desk, where she primarily engaged with foreign investors and hedge funds. Saina holds a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from the University of British Columbia.