Azusa Owa Partner BAIN & COMPANY

Azusa Owa is an expert in Private Equity and Financial Investor practice. She has extensive consulting experience across a range of industries and business topics in Japan, the United States and Australia, focusing on supporting private equity clients on commercial due diligence assignments and post-acquisition value creation in a variety of industries in. Azusa graduated with a master's degree in international education policy from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree in education from International Christian University. She earned her MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, double majoring to earn a master of international studies (in Mandarin Chinese) from the university's Lauder Institute.

Jim Verbeeten Partner BAIN & COMPANY

Jim Verbeeten leads Bain & Company’s Private Equity and Financial Investor practice in Tokyo. He has more than 20 years of management consulting experience. Jim advises private equity clients on commercial due diligence assignments in a variety of industries and has supported clients with fund strategy and performance improvement of their portfolio companies. Jim also leads the development of Bain’s annual Japan Private Equity report. He first joined Bain's Amsterdam office in 1999 and has worked in Europe, North America and Asia. He has been based out of the Tokyo office since 2007.

Edwin Chan Managing Director, Head of Client Solutions, Asia iCAPITAL

Edwin Chan joined iCapital in 2021 as Head of Asia and Head of Client Solutions APAC. He has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, including a strong track record in private markets in the Asia Pacific region.

Before joining iCapital, Edwin successfully founded and spent a decade building the Probitas Partners business in Asia. He has worked with many private market firms across different alternative investment strategies as well as with institutional and family office investors in the Asia Pacific region. Previously, Edwin worked with AIG Global Investments, Citi, and HSBC based out of Hong Kong in various regional roles covering clients across the broad Asian geography.

He holds a MBA and a BA from the University of South Australia and is a Certified Practicing Accountant of CPA Australia.

Maxence Radix Managing Partner CAPZA

Maxence Radix is Managing Partner at CAPZA, the leading pan-European private investment platform specialized in small and mid cap companies. Maxence joined CAPZA at the inception and played an instrumental part in building the Flex Equity franchise.
CAPZA’s Flex Equity strategy offers flexible financing solutions to support small and mid cap companies' developments. CAPZA has performed more than 90 transactions through its Flex Equity strategies and more than 60 exits since 2004. Maxence has extensive relationship and experience in the small and mid-cap market, particularly in France and a deep expertise in tech (software and services). Since 2021, he has been a member of the Management Board, Supervisory Board and Executive Committee of CAPZA.
Maxence holds an International Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Market Finance from EDHEC BBA (EDHEC Group, France).

Nate Walton Partner, Head of Private Equity Secondaries ARES MANAGEMENT

Mr. Walton is a Partner and Head of Private Equity in the Ares Secondaries Group. Mr. Walton serves as a member of the Ares Private Equity Group's Energy Opportunities and Extended Value Investment Committees, the Ares Infrastructure Group's Climate Infrastructure Partners Investment Committee, the Ares Secondaries Group's Private Equity Investment Committee and the Ares Sports, Media and Entertainment Investment Committee. He joined the Firm in 2006. Mr. Walton holds a B.A. from Princeton University in Politics and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Bruce Ou Managing Partner GROVESTREET

Bruce is a Managing Partner of GroveStreet and a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. He is responsible for a number of the firm’s client relationships and leads fund and direct investments across all segments of private equity and venture capital.

Prior to joining GroveStreet, Bruce was with the Monitor Group, a leading strategy consulting firm, where he focused on M&A, due diligence, corporate finance and strategy engagements for both corporate and private equity clients in carve-outs, investment diligence, growth initiatives, balance sheet optimization and strategic turnarounds. His engagements spanned the US/Canada, China, the UK, and Israel.

BA, Economics and Asian Studies, Williams College (Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude)
MBA, The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth (Tuck Scholar with High Distinction)

Masashi Kataoka General Manager, Alternative Investment Department DAI-ICHI LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY

Masashi Kataoka is General Manager of Alternative Investment Department at Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company. Prior to his current role, he had led various teams since 2014; hedge fund investment, PE fund investment, infrastructure fund investment, venture fund and direct investment team. He worked 4 years until 2014 at Dai-ichi Life’s NY office and led the manager selection / due diligence practice as well as strategic activities with US asset managers. Since joining Dai-ichi Life in 1997, he has about 20-year-experience in investment related sections including Investment Planning Department where he engaged in the asset allocation of entire Dai-ichi Life’s general account asset. He also has an experience working at an US based hedge fund as a trainee in 2007. He earned Bachelor of Economics in Keio University.

Kazushige Kobayashi Managing Director MCP ASSET MANAGEMENT

Kazushige has over 30 years of experience in the private equity (PE) business. Kazushige is handling a couple of PE-related businesses in parallel.

He joined MCP Asset Management in 2020 and manages 2 fund of funds programs of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government including a climate tech VC program.

In addition, he serves as an advisor for a couple of GPs including Rhone, a global mid-market PE fund, as an independent consultant.

Until 2020, he was Managing Director – Head of Primary Investments at Capital Dynamics (CD), a global private asset management company. He oversaw CD’s PE investments in Asia and also served as a member of the Global PE Investment Committee and Executive Committee.

Before joining CD in 2010, he worked for Mitsubishi Corporation, and as a part of that, he served as President and CEO of Alternative Investment Capital (AIC), a private equity advisory firm in Tokyo. AIC was established in 2002 and has grown AIC as a globally recognized PE investor.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Hitotsubashi University.

Yuka Hata Managing Director, Head of Fund Investments JAPAN INVESTMENT CORPORATION

Yuka Hata is a Managing Director and heads Fund Investment Team at Japan Investment Corporation (“JIC”).

Ms. Hata joined JIC in July 2020 in order to build and support Japan’ private equity / venture capital ecosystem as well as to provide the risk capital with the investment funds which bring Japan’s industry to the next stage. Prior to joining JIC, as a co-head of private equity, Ms. Hata worked for Nissay Asset Management where she was mainly responsible for European small-mid buyout, GP stake investments, secondary and Japan’s VC funds. She also worked for Nomura Asset Management (or Nomura Private Equity Capital) and managed fund of funds focused on Asia market as a member of Investment Committee.

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.

Satoshi Fukushima Partner GLOBIS CAPITAL PARTNERS

Satoshi Fukushima is Partner at Globis Capital Partners (GCP). He leads investments in problem-solving startups with a focus on healthcare and life-style sector as well as fund-raising of GCP 7th fund (JPY 73B). His track record includes Medley (4480) and acting as a board member of AI Medical Services (Endoscopy AI), Kakehashi (SaaS for pharmacies), SDP (Clinic group specializing in surgery), justInCase (Mobile&AI based insurance), White Plus (Online dry cleaning) and Yoriso (Online platform for seniors). Prior to joining GCP in 2014, he worked at Deutsche Securities Inc. where he was acting as FA for SoftBank and other tech-companies’ fundraising and cross-border M&A transactions. He received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Tokyo in 2007.

Kiichiro DeLuca Head of Research WERU INVESTMENT

Kiichiro is a venture capitalist at WERU Investment, the oldest university affiliated venture capital firm in Japan. He leads investment research at the firm, covering a broad range of technology and industry domains. He serves on the board of multiple portfolio companies including LeoLabs and Confidencial, leading startups in the space and cybersecurity domains.

 Prior to joining WERU Investment, Kiichiro led technology-focused business development efforts at startups in the US and Japan. He began his career as an aerospace engineer working on spacecraft development at NASA/JPL and industry. Kiichiro holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering with Highest Honors from Georgia Tech

BT Slingsby Founder & Managing Director CATALYS PACIFIC

BT Slingsby is Founder and Managing Director with Catalys Pacific.

He founded Catalys Pacific to transform life-sciences innovation in Japan using transpacific bioventure. He is a physician-scientist and biotechnology entrepreneur leading the company creation efforts for the firm. Prior to Catalys Pacific, he founded the Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund – the world’s first public-private fund focused on the development of new medicines for low- and middle-income countries. In his role as CEO and Executive Director at the GHIT Fund, he deployed over 100 investments and grew the fund to $350M in capital. Previously, he was global head of access strategy at Eisai Co., Ltd. where he led market access strategy for global products and managed a portfolio of anti-infective clinical programs.

He graduated from Brown University with honors, earned his M.P.H. and Ph.D. from Kyoto University and the University of Tokyo, and received his M.D. with honors from the George Washington University. In recognition of his contributions to global health, he has been awarded a Foreign Ministry Commendation from the Government of Japan. He has authored over 50 peer-reviewed articles on medicine and public health and currently lectures at the Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University.

Soichi Sam Takata Head of Private Equity TOKIO MARINE ASSET MANAGEMENT

Soichi Sam Takata has been with Tokio Marine Asset Management since the creation of the private equity investment team in 2002. Before that, Mr Takata was at Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance (Tokio Marine) working in their alternative investment team from 1997 to 1998, and again from 2001 onwards, managing a global portfolio of private equity, hedge funds, infrastructure funds, CDOs/CLOs and other alternative assets.

Mr. Takata spent three years at Tokio Marine Capital, Tokio Marine's private equity investment arm, working on management buyout and development capital transactions in Japan. During this period, he also spent time at private equity houses in the US and the UK. Prior to that, he spent over two years on secondment to the Export-Import Bank of Japan (now the Japan Bank for International Cooperation) working on project finance transactions around the world.

Mr Takata began his career in the international investment department of Tokio Marine overseeing an international portfolio of managed assets. He has a BA in economics from Harvard College.

Edmond Wong Operating Partner iGLOBE PARTNERS

Edmond is an operating partner of iGlobe Partners. He has over 26 years of venture capital experience investing in early-stage startups, venture funds, and funds of funds in Silicon Valley, the northeastern corridor of United States, Israel, and in Asia. Prior to joining iGlobe, Edmond was the executive vice president of Juniper Capital Ventures, the CVC arm of a Singapore listed company, and in Accenture Asia. Having been through multiple business cycles, Edmond brings a unique blend of venture investing, M&A transactions, and operating experience.

Pamela Fung Executive Director MORGAN STANLEY INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT PRIVATE EQUITY SOLUTIONS

Pamela is a partner and investment committee member for the Morgan Stanley Private Equity Solutions Team and has 18 years of industry experience. Prior to joining the firm, Pamela was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company's corporate finance practice in Hong Kong, responsible for investment opportunity identification, deal advisory, merger management and strategy development. Previously, she was a management consultant with Monitor Group, specializing in marketing strategy for clients across Asia, and a member of the corporate finance team with Lehman Brothers in Hong Kong. Pamela has a Law degree (first class honors) from the University of Hong Kong and an M.B.A. with honors in finance and management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Rahul Bhargava Co-Head of Asia ADVANTAGE PARTNERS

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.

Hiroaki Wakashita Partner ORCHESTRA PRIVATE EQUITY

• Hiroaki Wakashita (“Hiro Wakashita”) is Partner of Orchestra Private Equity and manages Orchestra’s Tokyo Office.
• Hiro was one of the initial members of Riverside Asia Fund, established in 2007.
• 19 years of working experience. 15 years in private equity where he was involved in buyout deals at The Riverside Company and Oak Capital. Also 4 years as a management consultant at Accenture.
• Prior to joining Orchestra Private Equity, Hiro was the first hire for The Riverside Company’s Asia operations, starting off in San Francisco Office in 2006 to help transition the culture and processes to Asia.
• While with Accenture’s Strategy & Business Architecture Unit, he focused on the telecommunications & high-tech sector, conducted projects including CRM strategy and new business strategies for mobile carriers.
• Received his Bachelor’s degree from Keio University in Japan and is fluent in English and Japanese.

Chaim Estulin Co-Managing Editor, Asia Pacific DEBTWIRE

Chaim Estulin has been covering APAC for more than two decades, including since 2007 at Debtwire, where he is now the regional co-Managing Editor based in Hong Kong. He jointly oversees more than two dozen reporters and analysts focused on corporate distress and restructurings as well as the primary issuance of high-yield bonds, bank loans and private credit. Before joining Debtwire, Chaim was a business editor at the South China Morning Post and a Hong Kong-based reporter at Time magazine covering politics, culture and business.

Karen Simeone Managing Director HARBOURVEST

Karen Simeone joined HarbourVest in 2018 and focuses on investments in senior and junior private credit transactions.

Throughout her career, Karen has managed all aspects of the private credit investment process including sourcing, evaluating, structuring, underwriting and managing secured debt securities of middle market companies. Prior to joining the Firm, Karen was a managing director at TCW in the Direct Lending Group (formerly Regiment Capital’s direct lending team). Karen previously worked at Stairway Capital and HVB Group. Karen began her career at J.P. Morgan as part of the leveraged finance group and later became a member of the high yield research team.

Karen received a BS from Georgetown University in 1998 and studied at the London School of Economics.

Hiroaki Saito Chief Investment Officer - Private Investments ASSET MANAGEMENT ONE ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS, LTD.

Hiroaki Saito is a Head of Private Investments and Chief Investment Officer at Asset Management One Alternative Investments, Ltd. (“AMOAI”). He has more than 20 years of private investments and banking experience. Prior to joining AMOAI in 2013, he was a Vice President in Investment Management at Capital Dynamics where he managed Asian private equity investments and developed an investment platform in Japan. Earlier in his career, he also worked at Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation, one of the largest trust bank in Japan, and Alternative Investment Capital Ltd, an investment advisory firm in private equity investments. Hiroaki holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from The University of Tokyo.

Justin Ferrier Managing Partner-Navis Private Credit NAVIS

Mr. Ferrier is a Managing Partner of Navis Private Credit. Mr. Ferrier has more than 30 years of experience, which includes more than 20 years as a credit investor, portfolio manager and business leader.

Previously he was a Managing Director at BlackRock where he played a pivotal role in building BlackRock’s Asian-Pacific Private Credit business, growing AUM to $700m and developing a successful regional strategy focusing on Southeast Asia and Australia.

Prior to BlackRock, he was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Myo Capital. The fund delivered 14% gross returns. Prior to Myo Capital he was a Director / Investment Committee Member with ADM Capital and a Corporate Finance Executive with Peregrine Capital and SG Warburg Group.

Mr. Ferrier holds an MBA, majoring in Finance and Accounting from Monash University and a Bachelor in Science from the University of South Australia.

Barnaby Lyons Partner, Special Situations BAIN CAPITAL

Mr. Lyons joined Bain Capital in 2006. He is a Partner and Global Co-Head of Bain Capital Special Situations as well as the Head of Bain Capital Credit in Asia. 

Prior to his current role, Mr. Lyons was based in Bain Capital’s London office covering European Special Situations opportunities. Previously, Mr. Lyons was a consultant at Bain & Company.

Mr. Lyons received an A.B. Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton University.