Advisory board

As COO for APAC, Cécile oversees Client Office, Client Onboarding, Business Management & Organisation, Operations, Data & Technology, Innovation & Strategic Sourcing, Control Tower, Corporate Real Estate and Procurement activities for the CIB. 

Cécile has more than 20 years’ experience in CIB activities across London, Hong Kong, and Paris. Prior to joining Natixis CIB in Asia Pacific, she was based in London, where she was the Natixis UK Chief Operating Officer and Chief of Staff to the CEO. Prior to that, Cécile was with HSBC as Global Markets Equities COO for Europe and Global Head of Business Management for Global Markets Equity Derivatives & Prime Finance. Before HSBC, she held various roles with Société Générale in Paris and Hong Kong across Markets, Projects, and Operations.

Dr. Shinichiro Itozaki is a Deputy Chief Manager of Global Markets Engineering Office at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, serving as the Japan Head of XVA Quant Team at MUFG. Dr. Itozaki has been working on policy issues, and developing industry standards, for the OTC derivatives market, covering prudential regulations, Basel rules, central clearing, uncleared margin, ISDA SIMM, interest rate benchmark reform, model risk, climate risk, carbon credit derivatives, crypo derivatives and derivatives legal documentation. Dr. Itozaki chairs the Discussion Group on Interest Rate Benchmark Transition convened by Japan Securities Dealers Association (JSDA), and represents MUFG in the ISDA Interest Rates Steering Committee and ISDA SIMM Governance Executive Committee. Dr. Itozaki received a Ph. D. in Mathematical Sciences from the University of Tokyo.

Motoko started her career in 2001 at Mizuho bank Paris branch before joining Societe Generale Group in 2006, where she served for 10 years in Paris and Tokyo to develop the Group’s business with Japanese Financial Institutions.

In 2016, she joined HSBC Asset Management as Fund Manager and contributed to the growth of ESG investment in Japan as Senior Market Specialist. Most recently, Motoko was with RepRisk Japan Limited, established by the world’s largest ESG technology firm RepRisk AG in 2022, as General Manager to support the acceleration of green finance in Japan by best-in-class ESG risk data.

Shinichi Yoshiya is Head of Regulatory Affairs for Japan and APAC in the Legal Division of Morgan Stanley. Mr. Yoshiya covers a broad range of complex cross-border financial regulatory matters and transactions for Morgan Stanley’s Japan and Asia Pacific region including ESG, OTC derivatives regulations of Japan, U.S. and EU, the Volcker Rule, Resolution Stay, MiFID2, Brexit, LIBOR and Basel 3 capital rules. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Mr. Yoshiya was an attorney at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP advising on financial regulatory matters. Mr. Yoshiya has held academic appointments at Duke University Law School as Visiting Professor and currently teaches global financial regulations at Meiji University Law School. Duke University, Law School (LL.M.), Aoyama Gakuin University, Business School (M.B.A.), Sophia University (LL.B.). Mr. Yoshiya is admitted to the bar of the state of New York.

Akira Yamamoto joined SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. as Chief risk officer in September 2021. He delivers his insights and solutions with regard to the optimized risk return in a wide range of risk assets including Loan, Derivatives, Real Estate, Funds, and Structured Finance from the perspectives of credit and market risk.

As a senior risk manager with 30 years of experience in the commercial and investment banking industries as well as a global rating agency, he has obtained an enhanced recognition among Japanese and non-Japanese institutional investors and made contributions to the public sector through the advisories specialized in Alternative products.

Prior to joining SMBC Nikko Securities, Mr. Yamamoto spent more than ten years working at MUFG Bank until 2000 being engaged in the corporate loan underwriting. After that, he spent five years at Standard & Poor’s as a lead analyst specialized in Structured Finance, and Morgan Stanley as a head of Corporate & Structured Finance Credit Risk covering the alternative assets such as securitization, real estate, leveraged loans, hedge funds and commodities in addition to the traditional assets such as equity and fixed income. He also spent seven years at Mitsubishi UFJ Securities Holdings by leading various projects in relation to Structured Finance and enhancement of market credit risk management framework.

Mr. Yamamoto is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst - Certified by CAIA Association, and a Financial Risk Manager - Certified by the Global Association of Risk Professionals.

Chui Fong LEE is an Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of Finance with DBS Bank Hong Kong. As part of the senior Finance management team, Chui Fong provides leadership in the Finance transformation journey, driving collaboration and the building of a strong risk and control culture, enabling Finance to deliver strategic value to its stakeholders.

After spending over three decades in the financial services industry across geographical locations for multiple global banks including UBS and Barclays, Chui Fong has experience with what truly drives transformation and the challenges they come with. The transformation covers beyond processes and technology changes across finance functions. It is also in managing the change in mindset to enable people to embrace changes and doing things in different ways, amid the rapid development in technology, market and regulatory environment.

Chui Fong holds a Masters in Applied Finance from Macquarie University and is a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants. She is also a member of the National Center For Sustainability Reporting with certified training on sustainability reporting, and the author of the research report “Green Finance Opportunities in ASEAN” jointly published by DBS and UN Environment Inquiry in November 2017.

Yasuhisa Watanabe is Vice President, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for RGA Reinsurance Company Japan Branch, where he leads the finance and accounting team. He is responsible for the overall financial management of the Japan Branch, and is also Regional Finance Projects Director for improving business management in the Asian region for RGA. He joined RGA Japan as CFO in 2004 when RGA was granted a full license to operate in Japan.
In addition to these roles, Yasuhisa serves on the Japan Management Board, RGA Japan’s highest decision-making body, and he chairs the Investment, Compliance, and Audit & Risk Management committees.
Prior to joining RGA, Yasuhisa led the finance team for PCA Life and was responsible for enhancing its EV-based financial reporting system. He also worked for Merrill Lynch Japan Securities as Controller, contributing to the industry-first launch of bancassurance by Merrill Lynch International Private Client Group (IPCG), which serves high net worth customers and supports merger and acquisition initiatives for banks in the Core Finance Division.
Yasuhisa received an Executive M.B.A. (EMBA) from the Keio Business School. He is a U.S. Certified Public Accountant (CPA), recognized by the New Jersey Society of CPAs, and is a member of The Japan Committee for Economic Development.

Tatsuo is Managing Director and Head of Quant Team in Investment Division at Japan Post Bank since 2016. He is responsible for all quantitative analysis including asset allocation, front risk management and investment strategies as well as developing trading systems for the investment division. Prior to joining Japan Post Bank, his career started with Morgan Stanley Japan in 1999 as Interest Rate Strategist after graduating from Graduate School of Waseda University with a Masters Degree in Mathematics.  In 2005, he joined ABN AMRO Securities Japan, which was subsequently integrated into RBS Securities Japan, as head of Japan Research.

Tatsuo rejoined Morgan Stanley Japan in October 2009 and became head of JGB/swap trading and sales desk.  He was promoted to Managing Director in 2010 and appointed Head of Japan Interest Rate Product Group.  He was named Co-Head of Japan Fixed Income and appointed to a Board member of Morgan Stanley Japan Holdings in January 2013. His last role at Morgan Stanley MUFG was Head of Japan Fixed Income Trading.

While working at Japan Post Bank, Tatsuo is teaching fixed income investments and ALM strategy at Tokyo Metropolitan University where he earned PhD in Business Administration.

A career in pensions and asset management for over 12+  years with a particular focus on corporate pensions and the defined contribution (DC) pension in Japan. Experience includes: strategy, sales and marketing, relationship management, pension design and consulting, and plan communications. He has also written several reform and advocacy publications directed towards the Japanese government and ministries based on global best practices. And also currently serves as a vice-chair on the Investment Management Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ). Prior to the pension industry, he held several roles in capital markets at global investment banks. A career in pensions and asset management for over 12+  years with a particular focus on corporate pensions and the defined contribution (DC) pension in Japan. Experience includes: strategy, sales and marketing, relationship management, pension design and consulting, and plan communications. He has also written several reform and advocacy publications directed towards the Japanese government and ministries based on global best practices. And also currently serves as a vice-chair on the Investment Management Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ). Prior to the pension industry, he held several roles in capital markets at global investment banks. 

Shin Arie joined Amundi (former Société Générale Asset Management) in 2004 as a senior portfolio manager of both domestic and global fixed income portfolios and was appointed as Head of Fixed Income Department in 2006, and then as Chief Investment Officer / Head of Investment Management Division in 2020. Prior to joining Amundi, he was a senior portfolio manager at Toyota Asset Management (current Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management), from 1999 to 2004, to manage global fixed income portfolios in both active and passive methodologies for Japanese financial institutions including pension funds. He started his investment career as a portfolio manager at Chiyoda Fire and Marine Insurance (current Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance) in 1991 and experienced the portfolio management of Japanese/US/Global fixed income as well as derivative trading including JGB futures/options and swaps for 6 years in Tokyo and then equity portfolio management for 2 years in London.

Shin holds BEs from Kyushu University, and MBA in finance from Yokohama National University. He is a CFA charterholder.