Aki Asami

Background

About Aki Asami

I have been in Goldman Sachs, Investment Banking Division for a long time after I graduated from MIT in US. I have focused on Technology, Media, Telecom, and Healthcare sectors. Finally, in the investment banking division, I worked for Barclays Japan as a head of investment banking division. Then, I have changed my carriers from investment banking to Venture Capital at University of Tokyo IPC as well as Softbank, and am working as COO of HAPS Mobile, Inc. At Goldman, I covered several industries including Telecom, Internet, Media, Technology, and Game sectors as well as Financial Institutions. I sourced and involved in several announced transactions including; Softbank (acquisition of Vodafone Japan, IDC, Japan Telecom, Gravity (through GungHo), Softbank Hawks and transaction w/ BellSystem24, and sale of Dreamnet), NTT DoCoMo (acquisition of NTT Personal, investment to AOL Japan, Hutchison Telecom, KG Telecom, AT & T Wireless, and sale of AT & T Wireless), KDDI (three way merger b/w KDD, DDI and IDO, reorganization of au, and acquisition of Tuka), Teleway Japan (merger w/ KDD) Sumitomo Mitsui Credit Card (investment by NTT docomo), Hitachi (acquisition of HDD business from IBM), Fuji Television (defense advisor against Livedoor), Rakuten (acquisition of TBS, eBank, and LinkShare), Promise (acquisition of Car Convenience Club), Ripplewood (acquisition of Japan Telecom) NTT docomo (IPO, secondary offering), NTT Holdings (4th, 5th, and 6th offerings) Private Equity Group`s investment into eAccess, EMOBILE, USEN, Sanyo Electric, and Aruze, and Special Situation Group`s establishment of investment fund w/ Softbank Group. At Barclays, as the head of investment banking division, I established investment banking division in Japan from the green field. As the most senior relationship banker, my focus involves driving and building strategic dialogue with the important clients in Japan while working with SMBC's senior management, and in order to strengthen the strategic relationship between Barclays and SMBC, which involved the establishment of a JV for wealth management named SMBC Barclays Wealth Service in the SMBC Nikko Security Company. I was involved in several announced transactions including M&A advisor to Fujifilm (acquisition of SonoSite), the owner of Daio Paper (sale stakes to Hokuetsukishu Paper), PGM Holdings (tender offer to acquire shares of Accordia Golf Co.), Mitsubishi Corporation (acquisition of Encana (Natural Gas Assets) and Financing to Nexon (IPO and the block trade by the owner), etc.