Tokyo, Japan
I advise recruitment and staffing business owners, along with listed acquirers, on cross-border M&A across Japan, Australia and Southeast Asia. Over the past 20+ years, I have built, sold and advised on transactions in the staffing sector, including the sale of my own Tokyo-based executive search firm to Recruit Holdings. In total, I have supported transactions representing approximately USD 100M in value. My work today focuses on originating and executing off-market opportunities, particularly where there is no active sale process and alignment with founders needs to be built over time. Prior to advisory, I spent 13 years with Recruit, helping scale its permanent recruitment businesses across Asia and later serving as a Board Advisor. This combination of operator and advisor experience allows me to bridge the gap between founders and corporate buyers, particularly in cross-cultural environments. I typically work with: Founders considering succession, partial exits or growth partnerships Japanese and international buyers seeking expansion through acquisition Investors exploring opportunities in staffing and HR services Earlier in my career, I served in the Royal Hong Kong Police, including the Commercial Crime Bureau and VIP Protection Unit, before moving into the private sector. Alongside M&A advisory, I am an active investor in HR tech and support leadership teams as a Board Advisor. Outside of work, I am a long-distance endurance athlete, with a particular focus on Ironman.
Specialist M&A advisory in the global recruitment and staffing sector, originating and executing cross-border transactions between founders, strategic buyers and investors, often on an off-market basis.
Board advisory and M&A support to recruitment and staffing businesses across Asia, with a focus on growth, succession and cross-border transactions. Experience & background Served as Advisor to the Board of Recruit Holdings international recruitment business (2013–2020), with oversight of regional L&D and practice functions Portfolio & advisory roles Acted as Investor and Advisor to TalentSpark, a Manila-based RPO supporting agencies and corporates Invested in and advised multiple HR tech start-ups across Asia Co-founded HR Digital Today, an industry content and insights platform Served as Investor and Senior Advisor to Reccelerate, a retained Rec2Rec services business for staffing firms in Asia Advised The Dream Collective, supporting female leadership and workplace inclusion Additional Worked as a C-suite executive coach (ICF trained) and Genos Emotional Intelligence practitioner
Recruitment Entrepreneur is one of the world's most successful private equity backed investors in recruitment businesses to start-up or scale. Since 2014, Recruitment Entrepreneur has invested in over 40 talented founders, enabling them to launch, scale and in some cases exit, successful businesses. The success lies in the ability to provide not just investment capital, but also know-how. Recruitment Entrepreneur has fostered a community of global businesses that benefit from the expertise of dedicated teams who provide; funding, financial expertise, operational strategy, back-office support, legal advice, marketing and talent attraction solutions, all of which enable partner businesses to flourish. An exclusive focus on the recruitment sector, underpinned by a highly experienced management team with a proven track record of success, is core to unique market positioning and offering. My role is Asia-based, helping identify local partners, country heads, and potential joint ventures. Venture Capital & Private Equity
Relocated to Hong Kong in 2010 to lead the RGF Hong Kong business and build the strategic relationship with Bo Le Associates, Greater China’s leading search firm. Led market entry strategy for India across both search and selection, based in Mumbai for one year, with responsibility for organic growth and the acquisition and integration of the Stanton Chase franchise.
Co-founded CDS, a Tokyo-based executive search firm, scaling it into a leading platform before its sale to Recruit Holdings in December 2007, its first domestic recruitment acquisition in over 50 years and a strategic vehicle for international expansion. Led overall strategy, partnership development and retained search operations, building a diversified client base across Fortune 1000, start-up and venture-backed businesses. Delivered senior mandates including country managers and functional leadership hires across multiple sectors. Played a key role in positioning the business for acquisition, aligning growth, client mix and delivery capability with buyer requirements. Recognised by Businessweek as one of the World’s Most Influential Headhunters (January 2009). The business was later rebranded as RGF in 2018 and scaled to become one of Japan’s leading multinational recruitment platforms, employing 200+ staff.