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Hideto Yajima
Managing Director, Co-Head of Investment Advisory at Japan Post Investment Corporation- Keynote Address: Japan 2025 – Investing in Transformation
- Panel 3: "Buyouts in Transition: Unlocking Value in a Complex Market"
Managing Director, Co-Head of Investment Advisory. Hideto started his career at RECOF Corporation as a M&A advisor. In 2005, he joined Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance where he was engaged in Private Equity and other alternative investments including 3 years secondment to Private Equity Department at Tokio Marine Asset Management. He has been involved in Japan PE funds, Japan mezzanine funds, and global VC investments at Japan Post Bank since 2021. BA in Economics from Waseda University.
Todd Shin
Partner at Axiom Asia Private Capital Pte. Ltd.Todd Shin is a Partner and member of the investment committee at Axiom Asia Private Capital. He is responsible for leading investments in direct co-investments, secondaries, and funds in the Asia Pacific region, with a particular focus on Australia, Korea, and Southeast Asia.
Prior to joining Axiom Asia, Todd served as a Manager in the Investment Management division of Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance in Seoul, where he was responsible for evaluating fund and direct investments across asset classes, including private equity and credit. Todd also has a background at PwC’s Deal Advisory practice in Seoul and Chicago, providing M&A and financial advisory services to global private equity and corporate clients across various industry sectors.
Todd holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Korea University and is a CFA Charterholder.
Rahul Bhargava
Partner, Co-Head of Asia at Advantage Partners Pte. Ltd.Rahul Bhargava joined Advantage Partners in December 2022 as Co-Head of Asia.
Prior to joining Advantage Partners, he spent over 2 years as Head of Southeast Asia at ADV Partners, and 5 years as a Director at KKR & Co. He has invested across multiple verticals in the alternative investments space including buyouts, growth minority investing and special situations. Rahul started his career at Henderson Global Investors as a founding member of the pan-Asian equity team, where he spent 12 years, with his last role being head of the Singapore office. Rahul is a CFA Charterholder, earned his MBA from the AGSM at the University of New South Wales and graduated from the University of Calcutta with a BSc in Economics. He is an Indian national and a permanent resident of Singapore.
Fi Dinh
Managing Director, Head of Fund Finance APAC at MUFG Investor ServicesFi Dinh is Managing Director, Head of Fund Finance APAC at MUFG Investor Services where she leads the expansion of the firm’s fund financing business across Asia Pacific, as well as supporting the growth of the asset servicing and fund administration business globally. She is member of the firm’s Global Senior Management Committee, APAC Regional Executive Committee and Singapore Location Committee.
She is a familiar face of the fund finance community globally having supported the growth of this sector for over a decade across the US, Europe, Middle East and Asia markets. She was recognized in The Drawdown’s ‘MOST INFLUENTIAL FUND FINANCE EXPERTS OF 2022’ globally.
Fi pioneered the global trend of ESG-linked fund finance facilities when she led the world’s first ESG-linked subscription credit facility in 2019, marrying the sustainability-linked loan technology at individual company or asset level, to a portfolio framework that can be applied to Private capital funds even at the beginning stage of their lifecycle.
Fi moved to Asia with ING Bank from Barclays London in 2018 to build out the fund and insurance finance businesses in Asia Pacific before joining Citi to oversee the then Asia’s largest fund finance portfolio in terms of AUM. Prior to that, she helped build a successful Private Equity coverage franchise supporting financial sponsors and alternative asset managers in EMEA and the U.S. for Barclays, based in London, as Director in the Financial Institutions Group.
She serves on the APAC Executive Committee of the Fund Finance Association and the Singapore Venture & Private Capital Association (SVCA) Fund Operations and Digital Transformation Committee, and is also co-chair of Women in Fund Finance APAC.
Indraneil Ghosh
Partner at King & Wood Mallesons LLPIndraneil is a corporate partner in King and Wood Mallesons, Singapore. He has over 16 years of experience across major international fund centres – London, Dubai, Sydney and Singapore.
Indraneil works with clients on fund formation and M&A across a wide range of asset classes. He advises GPs and cornerstone investors, including sovereign wealth funds and pension funds, on the establishment of private investment funds, club deals and managed account structures as well as acquisitions and buyouts. His experience also includes secondaries and co-investments, as well as work on joint ventures.
Yuka Hata
Senior Managing Director and Head of Fund Investments at Japan Investment CorporationYuka Hata is a Senior Managing Director and Head of Fund Investments at Japan Investment Corporation (“JIC”). With over 25 years of LP investment experience in domestic/oveseas private equity and VC spaces, Ms. Hata has held pivotal roles at the institutions such as Nissay Asset Management, Nomura Asset Management, and Nomura Private Equity Capital (NPEC).
Ms. Hata is a Chartered Member of the Security Analysts Association of Japan., and received a B.A. in Environmental Information from Keio University and an M.B.A. from Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales-HEC in Paris.
Chiamin Lai
General Partner at FIRSTLIGHT Capital, Inc.Chiamin began her career at a major ERP vendor, leading corporate digitization and operational reforms across Japan and Europe. She then joined Monitor Group (now part of Deloitte), advising companies on business strategy and Asian market expansion. At DCM Ventures, she played a key role in early-stage investments, including freee, now a leading fintech company in Japan. In 2014, she transitioned from investing to operating, joining Happy Elements, a Chinese technology startup, as a board member and CEO of its Japan office. There, she launched and built its XR business from the ground up across Japan and China, leading its expansion, content strategy, and operations. Currently, Chiamin is a General Partner at FIRSTLIGHT Capital, where she leverages her dual experience as an investor and operator to support early-stage technology companies. She is also a Director at the Japan Venture Capital Association (JVCA).
David Low
Partner at Albourne Partners (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.David Low is a Partner at Albourne and the Head of Private Markets in Asia. Based in Singapore, he leads Albourne’s Investment Due Diligence coverage of private equity, venture capital, private credit, real estate and real asset funds in the region and also supports clients on the management of their Private Markets portfolio.
Before joining Albourne in 2014, David spent five years managing the direct investment portfolio for an Asian family office. Prior to that, David was an entrepreneur for several years and co-founded multiple companies in the consumer services and FMCG space. David began his career at Arthur Andersen Business Consulting before joining General Electric in a variety of finance roles.
David holds an MBA from the Melbourne Business School, a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance), from Monash University in Melbourne and the CPA Australia designation. He is also a Board member of the Singapore Venture and Private Capital Association.
Hideo Mitsuda
Managing Partner & Executive Deputy President at Polaris Capital GroupMr. Mitsuda joined Polaris in August 2006. Prior to Polaris, he worked at Mizuho Financial Group for 12 years, first as a research analyst of the Industrial Research Department of The Industrial Bank of Japan (IBJ), then as vice president of the specialized finance division at the New York office of Mizuho Corporate Bank. Mr. Mitsuda received a BA in Economics from the University of Tokyo and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Sota Nagano
General Partner at Abies Ventures, Inc.Sota is a General Partner at Abies Ventures. Abies Ventures is a VC firm that invests primarily in early-stage Japanese startups based on deep tech (advanced science and engineering technologies). The team, consisting solely of experienced mega-venture founders and investors with a total value of over 7 billion USD, helps portfolio companies to expands into unicorn companies that contribute to the realization of a global sustainable future.
Previously, Nagano was a Board of Director, CFO., GLM Co., Ltd., an EV startup from Kyoto University and successfully secured funding from Japanese and foreign sovereign funds and family offices and eventually exited at 1.5B USD through cross border IPO in 2018.
Earlier in his carrier, Nagano worked as a investment banker in the capital market division of Deutsche Bank.
Yoshiharu Okubo
Principal at East Ventures Advisory Pte. Ltd.Yoshi joined East Ventures in 2018 to start Growth Funds and leads growth investments out of the Firm’s Singapore office. Yoshi has over 10 years of experience in corporate development and venture capital. Yoshi started his career as an Investment Analyst at Sumitomo Corporation analyzing group-level M&A and investments globally. He then launched a multi-million dollar FinTech company in Southeast Asia for the group. He then oversaw CVC investments in the region, and was seconded to a portfolio company in Malaysia to help with new business initiatives. Before joining East Ventures, he joined SoftBank Group's largest CVC in Japan, where he oversaw Japan and SEA markets. Yoshi graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Carleton College as a Star Scholar.
Takumi Shibata
Founding Partner at Fiducia Inc.Takumi Shibata is one of two founding partners of Fiducia, Inc., the manager of a fund in early to mid-stage growth tech companies in and around Japan. Fiducia is known for a uniquely concentrated portfolio of ten companies with strong engagements with their managements.
It splits investments in deep tech and in regenerative medical areas in Japan, i.e. less crowded areas with brighter outlooks.
Fiducia launched its first fund with ¥4.5 billion largely from institutions in 2021, is almost fully invested and is in the preparatory stage of raising its second fund. Its first fund is planning to achieve their first exit in 2025, with market permitting, and plans more exits in the immediate following years.
Before building Fiducia, he had an illustrious career of running Nomura Group as Global COO, 2007-2012, and joining Nikko Asset Management in 2013 to serve as CEO, 2014-2019. He spearheaded Nomura’s global growth and asset expansion at Nikko. He formed Fiducia with Tokihiko Shimizu, former head of Japan Post’s JP Investment in 2020.
He sits on the board of trustees of Tokyo Nikikai Opera Company and JESC, an educational charity for students in music. He was a member of Asia Business Council, and the Pacific Pension Institute, and was an advisor to Eurasia Group (Ian Bremmer) and to Edelman (Richard Edelman).
He holds a BA in economics from Keio University (1976) and an MBA from Harvard Business School (1983). At Keio he was Chairman of Keio English Speaking Society (1974-1975) and was a national champion debater in 1975.
Yar-Ping Soo
Partner, Primary Investments at Adams Street Partners Singapore Pte. Ltd.Yar-Ping leads the Primary Investment Team’s practice in Asia and actively participates in all investment decisions. She also manages relationships with several of Adams Street’s GP in the region.
Prior to joining Adams Street, she was a senior Vice President of GIC Special Investment (GICSI), which is the private equity arm of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation. Yar-Ping spent more than a decade at GIC and worked in their New York, Redwood City and Singapore offices. She was the Head of Asia/Emerging Markets based out of Singapore, leading GIC Private Equity’s investments in leveraged buyout funds, growth capital funds, and co-investments.
Yar-Ping is a member of Adams Street’s Primary Investment Committee
Andrew Staples
Founder and Principal of GeoPol AsiaDr Staples is the Founder and Principal of GeoPol Asia, a boutique advisory service operating at the intersection of geopolitics, business and strategy. Andrew established GeoPol Asia in 2024 following a career spanning three decades in Asia with The Economist Group and as a business school professor. He has run regional businesses and published widely as an Asia specialist. Andrew excels in connecting the dots between geopolitics and economics, identifying how global shifts shape local realities and clearly communicating what this means for businesses. He has extensive experience advising leaders of multinational firms and maintains a deep network of business leaders, investors, policy makers and academics.
Andrew was previously the Editorial Director and Head of Policy & Insights (APAC) at Economist Impact, the custom research and engagement division of The Economist Group. In this role he represented the business on the global stage and led a team of researchers, analysts and editors across Asia. He was formerly the Global Editorial Director of The Economist Corporate Network (ECN)—the Economist Intelligence Unit’s briefing and advisory service designed to help senior business leaders understand and navigate complex business environments. Prior to his move to Singapore in 2016 Andrew was the ECN director, North Asia, covering Japan and South Korea from Tokyo.
Dr Staples is a seasoned public speaker who brings clarity on complex issues in today’s rapidly changing world. He is highly experienced in briefing senior executives, delivering keynote presentations and chairing closed-door roundtables. Combining subject matter expertise with world-class professionalism, he is also much in demand as a moderator appearing at major business conferences and corporate events around the world. He also regularly appears in the international business media (BBC, CNN, CNBC, and Channel News Asia).
Andrew has a PhD in International Political Economy and an MSc in East Asian Business, both from the University of Sheffield, UK. Before joining The Economist Group, Andrew pursued an academic career holding both tenured and adjunct posts at leading universities and business schools in Japan and the UK. He has published widely and major publications include Responses to Regionalism in East Asia: Japanese Production Networks in the Automotive Sector published as part of the Palgrave Macmillan Asian Business Series and popular textbooks including Asian Business and Management. Andrew was also previously a Senior Editor for the internationally peer reviewed journal Asian Business and Management.
Dividing his time between Singapore and Japan, he is the Singapore CEO and Asia Management Forum chair for IMA Asia an Associate Fellow (Geo-economics and strategy) at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). He also serves on the advisory board of the Hinrich Foundation.
Nariatsu Tanaka
Director of Endeavour United Co. Ltd.Nariatsu Tanaka is Director of Investor Relations at Endeavour United Co., Ltd., and is responsible for investment and fundraising activities at Endeavour United Singapore as its representative.
Prior to joining Endeavour United, he worked for a Japan-based private equity fund where he was engaged in various PE investments, including management buyouts and business succession for both public and private companies. He also worked at Ernst & Young, specializing in business turnaround, valuation, and M&A advisory.
He received an MBA from Illinois Institute of Technology and a B.A. in Economics from Rikkyo University.
Kazuhiko Yoshimatsu
General Manager & Chief Representative at Tokyo Stock Exchange Inc. Singapore BranchKazuhiko Yoshimatsu joined the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) in 1997 where he worked in business development and planning in securities/derivatives trading, listing rule & corporate governance, compliance & market surveillance. He spent two years at the Financial Services Agencies of Japan (JFSA), and thereafter worked in corporate strategy, global strategy, media relations & investor relations at the Japan Exchange Group (JPX), the holding company of TSE. Yoshimatsu was also involved in promoting and formulating policy recommendations for the Japanese capital market at The Organization of Global Financial City Tokyo (FinCity.Tokyo). Since April 2021, he has been working at the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Inc. Singapore Branch as GM & Chief Representative.