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Japan Active Engagement

Japan is the world’s third largest economy and its corporate landscape is undergoing dramatic change. Through our joint venture with Tokyo-based Nissay Asset Management (NAM) we invest in a small number of selected Japanese companies that are not valued to their full potential due to factors we see as reparable. We then act as the catalyst for the change required to unlock value.

 

Key Features

Focus on fundamentally sound companies. The team will only invest in a position when it has identified significant upside potential through active change management

Constructive shareholder engagement. By working with investee boards diplomatically and sensitively to increase their companies’ value and improve shareholder returns, as opposed to employing more aggressive activist tactics.

Access to a highly experienced and dedicated team. The team has honed its approach over the past decade, utilising outside advisors as well as the 20-strong NAM analyst team to generate ideas. The team includes Japanese and London-based advisors, all of whom have extensive knowledge of change management and long-standing senior contacts at Japanese companies.

TEAM

Yasuaki Kinoshita, Chief Portfolio Manager, NHSF, NAM

Yasuaki has been responsible for the strategy since March 2008 (he also sits on the investment committee) and has over 19 years' investment experience. Prior to joining NAM, he was a fund manager for Nippon Life's General Account and was seconded to Lehman Brothers International, after a stint in Foreign Exchange Management for Nippon Life from 1992-93.

Yasuaki holds a B.A. in Economics from Osaka University and a M.Sc. in Financial Management from the University of London. He is a Japanese citizen and native speaker and fluent in English.

Nicola Takada Wood, Portfolio Adviser

Nicola joined the team in September 2018 with almost 15 years’ experience in Japanese equities, and a background spanning Japan and the UK. She contributes to the investment committee and is the conduit between RWC, Nissay Asset Management and its parent company Nippon Life. Nicola joined RWC from a career in equity sales and sales-trading at Goldman Sachs and Mizuho Securities.

She is half-Japanese, holds a First Class B.A. degree from the University of London and won the Monbusho Scholarship at Waseda University in Tokyo for her work in Economics and Japanese.

Michael Connors, Senior Advisor

Mike has been an advisor to the strategy since 2005 and brings over 30 years’ experience to the team. He established and was Managing Director of the Japan operations of Barclays de Zoete Wedd and was also Portfolio Manager for Israel Fund Plc.

He was also a founding director of Trust Associates Limited, advising and assisting the directors of investment trust companies on corporate governance issues. Mike holds an M.Sc. in Industrial Administration from the University of Bradford and a Ph.D. in Japanese Studies from the University of Sheffield, and he is fluent in Japanese.

Koji Nakatani, Representative Chief Analyst, NHSF, NAM

Koji is the main source of investment prospect ideas, and works closely with the 20-strong Nissay Asset Management analyst team. He is responsible for the strategy's screens and models and is also the point person for engagement with portfolio companies in sectors he covered as an analyst.

Koji has 19 years of experience and has gained impeccable experience at both Nippon Life and Nissay Asset Management. Koji graduated from Osaka University majoring in fiscal policy and tax policy. Koji has been a CFA Charterholder since 1997 and a CMA since 1993. He speaks English and Japanese.

ShinsukeTakarada, Assistant Portfolio Manager, NHSF, NAM

Shinsuke supports Yasuaki Kinoshita in day-to-day portfolio management, including position oversight and management, client reporting, stock research and engagement with portfolio companies. Previously he worked at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities as a sell-side strategist specialising in ESG issues and was responsible for launching ESG strategy products into the Japanese equity market.

Prior to this Shinsuke worked for Dainippoin Printing as a consultant on CSR management and disclosure issues for its client companies. Shinsuke holds a B.A. in Business and Commerce from Keio University where he specialised in corporate governance and the impact of ESG factors on cost of capital. He is a Japanese citizen and speaks Japanese and English.

Yasuaki Kinoshita, Chief Portfolio Manager, NHSF, NAM

Yasuaki has been responsible for the strategy since March 2008 (he also sits on the investment committee) and has over 19 years' investment experience. Prior to joining NAM, he was a fund manager for Nippon Life's General Account and was seconded to Lehman Brothers International, after a stint in Foreign Exchange Management for Nippon Life from 1992-93.

Yasuaki holds a B.A. in Economics from Osaka University and a M.Sc. in Financial Management from the University of London. He is a Japanese citizen and native speaker and fluent in English.

Nicola Takada Wood, Portfolio Adviser

Nicola joined the team in September 2018 with almost 15 years’ experience in Japanese equities, and a background spanning Japan and the UK. She contributes to the investment committee and is the conduit between RWC, Nissay Asset Management and its parent company Nippon Life. Nicola joined RWC from a career in equity sales and sales-trading at Goldman Sachs and Mizuho Securities.

She is half-Japanese, holds a First Class B.A. degree from the University of London and won the Monbusho Scholarship at Waseda University in Tokyo for her work in Economics and Japanese.

Michael Connors, Senior Advisor

Mike has been an advisor to the strategy since 2005 and brings over 30 years’ experience to the team. He established and was Managing Director of the Japan operations of Barclays de Zoete Wedd and was also Portfolio Manager for Israel Fund Plc.

He was also a founding director of Trust Associates Limited, advising and assisting the directors of investment trust companies on corporate governance issues. Mike holds an M.Sc. in Industrial Administration from the University of Bradford and a Ph.D. in Japanese Studies from the University of Sheffield, and he is fluent in Japanese.

Koji Nakatani, Representative Chief Analyst, NHSF, NAM

Koji is the main source of investment prospect ideas, and works closely with the 20-strong Nissay Asset Management analyst team. He is responsible for the strategy's screens and models and is also the point person for engagement with portfolio companies in sectors he covered as an analyst.

Koji has 19 years of experience and has gained impeccable experience at both Nippon Life and Nissay Asset Management. Koji graduated from Osaka University majoring in fiscal policy and tax policy. Koji has been a CFA Charterholder since 1997 and a CMA since 1993. He speaks English and Japanese.

ShinsukeTakarada, Assistant Portfolio Manager, NHSF, NAM

Shinsuke supports Yasuaki Kinoshita in day-to-day portfolio management, including position oversight and management, client reporting, stock research and engagement with portfolio companies. Previously he worked at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities as a sell-side strategist specialising in ESG issues and was responsible for launching ESG strategy products into the Japanese equity market.

Prior to this Shinsuke worked for Dainippoin Printing as a consultant on CSR management and disclosure issues for its client companies. Shinsuke holds a B.A. in Business and Commerce from Keio University where he specialised in corporate governance and the impact of ESG factors on cost of capital. He is a Japanese citizen and speaks Japanese and English.

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