現在、インダストリアルズ・セクターを中心に日本企業のM&Aディール、成長戦略を記者として担当。日本のスタートアップ企業幹部のインタビュー記事も継続的に執筆中。

２０２１年５月にマージャーマーケットに移籍する以前は、日本で最古・最大の英字新聞The Japan Times の編集委員・報道部次長を務めた。１９９３年に記者としてのキャリアを開始以来、日本関連の幅広いトピックをライターそしてエディターとして担当してきた経験を持つ。

弁護士としてスタートアップの支援に携わった後、2015年にKDDIグループのSupershipホールディングスに入社。経営戦略室長や子会社役員として、全社戦略の策定、M&A、事業開発、政策企画を統括。2019年よりグロービス・キャピタル・パートナーズ。著書に『成功するアライアンス 戦略と実務』（日本実業出版社）など。

1984年一橋大学を卒業、1988年Stanford Graduate School of Business でMBAを取得

日本興業銀行、メリルリンチに勤務

2004年よりソニー株式会社

• 2004　Sony Electronics (US) 
• 2008  本社IR部門長
• 2011　本社CorporateDevelopment部門長
• 2014　ソニーモバイルCSO
• 2016　本社CorporateDevelopment部門長（～17）
• 　　　兼　ソニーイノベーションファンド Chief Investment Manager 
• 2019　Innovation Growth Ventures 株式会社 CEO

Takako is a leader in the Strategy & Corporate Development in Japan. She has more than 20 years of experience developing strategic business models and M&A integration / separation planning for domestic and international clients in wide range of industries. She works primarily with broader Manufacturing and Auto companies on strategy and M&A topics.

Her experience in M&A stretches across the entire process, from strategy and theme definition to target selection, due diligence, synergetic assessment, and post-merger management for both domestic and cross-border transactions.

Prior to joining IBM, she worked for KPMG FAS, Booz Allen Hamilton, GE Capital, and Intel based in the US and Tokyo. She leveraged in-depth knowledge of North American, Asian, and Japanese markets in order to provide astute and productive business consulting to clients. She worked on integration / separation projects for clients across North America, Europe, Asia, and Japan.

Professional Experience

■ Market Assessment, Business Due Diligence, and Visioning & Strategic Planning

Provided assessments of the growth prospects and value creations of the target company through analysis of the overall addressable market and adoption rate as well as target-specific ramp-up issues and challenges.

■ Value-Driven Post-Merger Integrations

Led the overall PMI strategy, Day1 / Day 100 planning, value creation planning, and execution for clients undergoing merger. Included support to attain operational excellence for the continuous improvement of client operations.

■ Separations / Carve-outs

Helped client management teams work through their exit strategy decisions. Conducted separation due diligence to contain carve-out costs and identify savings. Supported structure and run the operational carve-out, IT separation, and divestiture process.

Function and Specialization

Takako is leading the IBM Japan M&A initiatives as part of IBM global transformation activities called “Transform to Glow” focused on strategic partnerships and acquisitions how IBM Consulting Japan collaborates with strategic partners and the broader ecosystem, while also investing in acquisitions to augment capabilities.

Michiko Kato is a partner at Woven Capital. Michiko’s investments span multiple domains including mobility, automation, smart cities, data and analytics. She led Woven Capital’s investments in Nuro, Ridecell, and WHILL.

A passionate investor and operator of growth-stage businesses, Michiko also serves as an independent director at HENNGE and Excite Holdings, as well as a board observer at Nuro and Ridecell.

Before Woven Capital, Michiko was Chief Financial Officer at ABEJA, Inc. — a market leader in artificial intelligence technology backed by Google, NVIDIA and Salesforce. After joining ABEJA in 2018, Michiko helped establish the company’s corporate functions, including finance, strategy, HR and PR. She also worked at leading investment firms such as Unison Capital, International Finance Corporation and Morgan Stanley.

In 2022, Michiko was named a Top 50 Rising Star by Global Corporate Venturing, which recognizes the industry’s top investors chosen from more than 2,000 corporate venturing units.

Michiko holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a B.A. from International Christian University in Tokyo.