Masahiko (“Masa”) Ishida is a Country Managing Partner and head of the Japan corporate group in DLA Piper’s Tokyo office. Masa has a wide range of M&A and Private Equity experience in the Japanese market and abroad over his 20 year career. Masa has led many notable large acquisitions on behalf of his clients across various sectors including consumer goods, technology, finance and life sciences. He has also worked on behalf of governmental agencies and multinational trading companies in Japan. 

Masa has been recognized as a leading M&A lawyer by many legal publications and ranking institutions such as Chambers Global and Legal 500. Masa was also recently recognized as one of the “Dealmakers in Asia” for 2020 by Asian Legal Business. Prior to joining DLA Piper, Masa practiced at Mori Hamada & Matsumoto and thereafter at a multinational boutique investment bank in New York. 

Masa is a graduate of the University of Tokyo Graduate Schools of Law and Politics and of Columbia Law School where he was a Fulbright Scholar. Masa was also a visiting scholar at the Center on Japanese Economy and Business (CJEB) at Columbia Business School. Masa is admitted to practice law in Japan and NewYork State.

Yoshinobu Agu is the Head of M&A at Citigroup Global Markets Japan Inc. He also has senior coverage responsibilities for some sectors and clients. He has worked on various M&A advisory roles in various sectors/industries, including both cross-border transactions in various geographies, as well as domestic transactions and restructuring deals. He joined Citi in 1998 after working for Nikko Securities. He holds a BA from the School of Commerce at Waseda University and MBA from Boston University. He also teaches part-time at Hitotsubashi University Business School. 

• Since he joined Marsh in January 2022, Masato has been engaged in risk advisory work, including arrange of warranties and indemnity insurance, for private equity and corporate clientele. 
• Prior to joining Marsh, Masato has 13-year sales experience for Tokio Marine Nichido Fire, including the experience in sales planning of both cross-border and domestic M&A insurance.

Yasuhiro Kawasugi is experienced management backed by strong financial skills and management capability developed by international experiences in European HQ in Germany for 8 years and Director positions in U.K. companies for 3 years covering Europe and the U.S, executing SCM project, strategy development, M&A and PMI, restructuring, management as CFO.  

After coming back to Tokyo HQ, he is focusing on improving corporate value through engagement and discussion with institutional investors for 6 years as Investor Relations Officer, taking the role of corporate strategic project (esp. divestment) to achieve portfolio transformation, and Board of Directors office to contribute on corporate governance. Now I’m responsible for corporate strategy, sustainability, and strategic business development as Director Corporate Strategic Planning to develop mid-long term corporate values. 

1991: The Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan (now SBI Shinsei Bank) Corporate Banking and M&A Advisory, Manager 2000-2002: New York University, Stern School of Business, Full-Time MBA 2002-2008: Lehman Brothers Japan, Investment Banking Division M&A Advisory and Equity Capital Markets, Vice President 2008-2009: Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, International Planning Department M&A (non-Japanese banks), Senior Vice President 2009-2014: Ernst & Young, LLP, Transaction Advisory Services, Valuation & Business Modeling M&A advisory (Japanese Clients, American Targets) 2014-2018: The Bank of Yokohama, Corporate Advisory Group M&A advisory, Deputy General Manager 2018-2022: Corporate Planning function of Japanese companies 2023: European Infrastructure Services company, Head of Corporate Development Japan.