Japan > Executive Directors

vCardNobuhiko Masuto

Nobuhiko Masuto is an Executive Director of GCA Savvian Corporation.
For over 20 years, Nobuhiko Masuto has been involved in a wide range of corporate finance activities including investment banking, private equity and structured financing in Japan, the U.S. and Europe. He has extensive experience in advising on M&A, IPO, private placement and LBO financing transactions and also has principal experience in equity and mezzanine investments. He has led the origination and execution of both cross-border M&A transactions as well as Japanese domestic deals.
Prior to joining GCA Savvian, Nobuhiko Masuto worked at Ripplewood Japan where he was responsible for origination and execution of buyout transactions. He was also heavily involved in post-acquisition management through his management roles in Ripplewood portfolio companies. Prior to joining Ripplewood, Nobuhiko Masuto worked as an investment banker for Daiwa Securities and Sumitomo Bank (currently known as Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation) Tokyo. During his career, he had the opportunity to establish Japan Equity Capital Inc., a private equity firm sponsored by Daiwa Securities SMBC, Sumitomo Corporation and GE Capital. Additionally, with Sumitomo, he spent over 8 years in London, focusing upon cross-border M&A transactions between Europe and Japan/U.S. and structured finance transactions for U.K. and Swiss blue-chip companies and municipals. He also spent time in the U.S., having been seconded to Robertson Stephens & Co. in San Francisco where he focused on the technology sector investment banking.
Recently, Nobuhiko Masuto represented All Nippon Airways in its investment in Skynet Asia Airways, the management team of Omron Entertainment Inc. in its MBO, and Matsuzakaya (a major Japanese department store) in its corporate defense actions against a hostile takeover by an activist fund. He has also led many successful large scale cross-border M&A transactions including TDK Co. Ltd.’s acquisition of Silicon Systems (a U.S. semiconductor manufacturer acquired through TOB), Sumitomo Heavy Industries’ acquisition of Lumonics (a Canadian laser technology company acquired through TOB), a Japanese trading company’s acquisition of Argo-Tech (a U.S. aircraft pump manufacturer through a consortium with Vester Capital) and Nippon Paint’s shareholding realignment with its U.S. joint venture partner.
He is a visiting instructor at Kobe University’s business school and often is a speaker at M&A and private equity related seminars. He holds the Authorized Sales Representative and Internal Administrator certification issued by the Japanese Securities Dealers Association (“JSDA”) and the Financial Services Authority (“FSA”) in the U.K.
Nobuhiko Masuto completed his Masters in Finance degree at the London Business School, University of London, and received his undergraduate degree from Keio University, where he majored in Law.
 

vCardHiroyuki Hayashi

Hiroyuki Hayashi is an Executive Director of GCA Savvian Corporation. He has been involved in investment banking and international development finance for over 10 years. He currently focuses on sourcing and executing deals for companies in a broad range of industries. He has significant expertise cross-border M&A between Japanese companies and companies located around the world in Asia, the US and Europe.

Prior to joining GCA, Hiroyuki Hayashi worked in M&A at Daiwa Securities SMBC, focusing on companies in the pharmaceuticals/chemicals industry, as well as Sakura Bank (currently as Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation), where he focused on executing cross-border deals for publicly listed companies. He also spent many years of his career at the World Bank in Washington DC, where he focused on project finance and privatization advisory services. He was actively involved in the privatization of power supply public corporation located at an isolated island in the Philippines. The water supply development project in Cambodia that he was engaged in as a project officer in April 1996 drew much attention as it was the first full-scale post-civil war World Bank-financed project in the country. He began his career in R&D at Tobishima Corporation.

His major advisory roles include representing Carlyle in its acquisition of Shionogi’s global capsule business, assisting World Co. with its Management Buy Out (the largest pure MBO in Japan), representing Takara Co. in its merger with Tomy Co., representing Taisho Pharmaceutical in its acquisition of the Vicks business of Proctor and Gamble, representing Mitsui Chemical in the establishment of its urethane joint venture with Takeda Pharmaceutical, representing Mitsui Pharmaceutical in its sale to Germany's Schering AG and representing Toshiba Tungaloy in its capital and strategic alliance with US Kennametal.

Hiroyuki Hayashi completed his MBA at the University of Texas at Austin. His undergraduate degree is from the National Defense Academy, Japan, where he majored in Civil Engineering.

vCardYasuyuki Tanaka

Yasuyuki Tanaka is an Executive Director of GCA Savvian Corporation, the Representative Director of Due Diligence Corporation and the Representative Director of GCA Savvian China Co.,Ltd. He has extensive experience in turnaround planning and execution support applying corporate divestiture and business transfer structures for numerous public and non-public companies. His recent major achievements include advice on organizational restructuring coupled with internal control system development, and due diligence involving managerial accounting and internal control. He also has experience in providing organizational restructuring advice based on business characteristics for manufacturing and service companies.

He has wide range experience in cross-boarder transactions between Japan and China. Key transactions include the 28% share acquisition of Shan Shan Group
(China) by ITOCHU Corporation, launch of optical disk joint venture by Sharp Corporation and Pioneer Corporation (financial due diligence and financial advisory), the share purchase of Sankei Corporation by ITOCHU Corporation (financial due diligence on subsidiary in China, and financial advisory), and financial due diligence on a local retailer in China (2010, pending).

He began his career at Long Term Credit Bank of Japan (currently Shinsei Bank Ltd.), where he was involved in numerous credit valuations associated with disposals of nonperforming loans. In 1999, he joined LTCBR Consulting, Inc. (currently Value Management Institute, Inc.). In 2001, he co-established Brain Link Corporation LLC and assumed Representative Director. In 2002, the company was reorganized as Brain Link Corporation. In 2006, he went on to co-work with the Industrial Revitalization Corporation of Japan and Resolution and Collection Corporation on corporate revitalization due diligence. He joined GCA Savvian Group in April 2008. Oct 2009  Assumed Representative Director of Due Diligence Corporation (current) and Executive Director of GCA Advisory Corporation,April 2011 Assumed Executive Director of GCA Savvian Corporation (current),May 2011  Assumed Reprsentative Director of GCA Savvian China,
He has a B.A. in Economics from Kyoto University.  Japanese CPA.

vCardKazuo Sakairi

Kazuo Sakairi is an Executive Director of GCA Savvian Corporation. He has over 15 years experience in M&A advisory with top-tier Japanese financial institutions. He started his advisory career at The Bank of Tokyo (currently Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ or “MUFJ") in 1988 where he worked on executing cross border transactions. In 1995, he was transferred to the Investment Banking Group in New York, where he acted as a sell side advisor for major Japanese trading, electronics, and engineering firms which were divesting subsidiaries in the US. After spending seven years in New York, he was promoted to lead corporate advisory services for the construction, real estate, transportation and retail sectors of MUFJ. He has been involved in numerous transactions including buy-side, sell-side and restructuring.

Representative cross-border transactions (which are not able to be publicly disclosed) include transactions such as the sale of an US auto parts subsidiary by one of the largest Japanese trading firms, the sale of US printing joint venture by Japanese printing company and auto parts company, the sale of US steel service center by one of the largest Japanese trading firms and the acquisition of 8 engineering subsidiaries of Japanese telecom company by an Australian company in the same industry. Recent domestic deals that he has played a central role in include the capital participation in Fudo Construction Co., Ltd. by Tetra Co., Ltd. and Phoenix Capital, the sale of Katsumura Construction Co., Ltd. 

Kazuo Sakairi joined GCA Savvian Group in June 2006 and has advised on several transactions including representing Nikko Cordial Group on the tender offer for over 50% of its common stock by Citigroup. 

Kazuo Sakairi graduated from Keio University, where he majored in Political Science.

vCardSachio Kuninori

Sachio Kuninori is an Executive Director of GCA Savvian Group Corporation.
He has more than 25 years of financial services and investment banking experience in both Japan and the US. Prior to GCA Savvian in February 2008, Sachio Kuninori was General Manager of Investment Banking Credit Division of the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ and was responsible for making credit decisions for investment banking related transactions, which included project finance, LBO/MBO finance, asset securitization transaction, trade finance, loan underwriting, etc.  He was also responsible for managing investment banking related loan portfolio totaling more than US$30 billion.
He has been engaged in wide range of investment banking related activities for more than 25 years after joining the Bank of Tokyo, Ltd.  Sachio started his M&A advisory career in early 80's mainly focusing on cross border transactions and advised leading Japanese companies on a number of M&A transactions.  Sachio was Senior Vice President of BTMU Capital, where he played a key role in expanding the business globally in the area of equipment and aircraft engine leasing as well as in securitization and syndication activities.

Sachio Kuninori completed his Masters in Business Administration degree at Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of the University of Tokyo where he majored in law.

vCardIsao Okubo

Isao Okubo is an Executive Director of GCA Savvian Corporation. He has been engaged in the M&A advisory business since 1996. He has significant experience in cross-border M&A transactions for manufacturing companies.

Before joining GCA, he was a senior vice president in the Strategic Advisory Department of Daiwa SMBC, which he joined in 2002. Prior to joining Daiwa, he worked in the M&A Group at Sakura Bank (currently Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation). At Sakura Bank he worked in several departments, including Aircraft Financing, foreign exchange and lending.

Advisory deals include the business transfer of Crown Leasing (the largest bankruptcy deal in Japan at the time), the sale of the Grand Hyatt in Seoul, the sale of a US magnetic iron oxide manufacturer, the acquisition of a shipbuilding business of Niigata Engineering, the sale of a Japanese automotive parts manufacturer, the acquisition of a LCD manufacturing machine maker, the sale of a Japan business owned by a major US PE fund, the acquisition of a ticketing machine business of a telecom equipment company, the sale of Thai subsidiary of a Japanese electric maker, and the sale of a financial consulting company. 

Isao Okubo received his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Tokyo where he studied law.

vCardHisako Takada

Hisako Takada is an Executive Director of GCA Savvian Corporation. She has been engaged in wide range of corporate finance activities in Japan and the US for more than 10 years. She has in-depth experience in various types of M&A and financing transactions, including cross-border transactions, carve-outs, private placements, IPOs and structured bond offerings. She has been responsible for transactions from origination through execution. She has advised clients on transactions as well as acted as principal in connection with the management of business portfolio and group companies including the development and implementation of capital policy, corporate governance policy and incentive compensation plans.

Her major advisory roles in GCA include representing Ricoh in its acquisition of IBM’s Printing Systems Division and representing Nikko Cordial in its capital alliance with Citigroup. Prior to joining GCA, Hisako Takada worked for UBS Securities Japan, focusing on companies in technology, machinery and chemicals industries. She also worked in Sony’s corporate strategy and business development department. She began her career with Goldman Sachs Japan. 

Hisako Takada completed her Masters in Business Administration degree at London Business School, University of London. She is a graduate of the University of Tokyo where she majored in Mathematical Engineering and Information Physics.

vCardKou Sakai

Kou Sakai is an Executive Director of GCA Savvian Corporation. He graduated from Keio University where he majored in Law. After graduating, he joined Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu(currently Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLC.) and PwC Advisory. Subsequently, he joined a European Investment Bank where his role was to assist the bank in establishing an M&A division in Japan. His experience includes engagements such as advising large companies on investments in new businesses as well as assisting with the restructuring of distressed companies. He joined GCA Savvian Group in November 2006 and is a Japanese CPA.

vCardTaishi Yoshioka

Taishi Yoshioka is an Executive Director of GCA Savvian Corporation. He has been involved in financial advisory and investment management for over 15 years. He has significant expertise with cross-border (especially Asian) M&A transactions involving  Japanese companies. He also has specialized expertise in valuation and has provided fairness opinions for significant transactions.
Prior to joining GCA, he worked in the M&A Advisory group at Deloitte Tohmatsu FAS. He originally began his career with JP Morgan Securities.

His major M&A advisory experience covers a wide range of industries of both public and private, healthy and distressed companies. With GCA Savvian, he provided advisory services for Shinko Securities related to the merger with Mizuho Securities, Nikko Cordial Group related to the tender offer by CitiGroup, Kibun Food Chemifa related to the stock exchange with Kikkoman and the other high profile transactions.

He also has extensive experience in the transaction related valuation services, including the equity valuation of Nippon Broadcasting System on behalf of Fuji Television, the equity valuation of World Co. in its MBO structure and the merger ratio for several high-profile transactions.

He graduated from Hitotsubashi University, where he specialized in law. He holds the following certifications: Certified Member of Analyst (CMA) and Certified International Investment Analyst (CIIA).