Capital Markets Strategy Department - Activist Response Advisory

This role provides strategic and multifaceted advisory services to mainly listed-company clients on responding to activist investors and improving corporate value. Responsibilities include researching and analyzing institutional investors’ investment strategies, voting policies and market trends, including those of domestic and international activists.

The role evaluates client management issues through research into corporate governance, capital policy, shareholder returns, medium-term management plans, cost of capital, optimal capital structure, credit ratings and capital-market rules affecting valuation. Based on these analyses, the adviser identifies current conditions and potential risks, develops preventive measures and response strategies, and supports strategic shareholder communication based on shareholder composition analysis.

Additional duties include advising on important shareholder-meeting proposals, corporate defense strategies, capital policy and balance-sheet matters, related M&A strategies, capital-efficiency measures, shareholder-return policies, medium-term plans and investor-relations strategy. The role also plans and conducts workshops and study sessions for client executives. In cooperation with the markets division, it advises on and supports execution of block trades and share repurchases. It collaborates with M&A, ECM and asset-solutions teams to provide integrated cross-functional solutions.

Applicants must have at least a four-year university degree and three or more years of experience in investment banking, corporate-finance advisory, IR/SR consulting or corporate IR/SR, or management-strategy consulting, gained at a financial institution, consulting firm or operating company. Required capabilities include foundational corporate-finance knowledge, financial, accounting, legal or tax expertise or strong motivation to acquire it, logical thinking, advanced analytical ability, complex problem-solving, and document preparation using Excel, Word and PowerPoint. Business communication and business etiquette are required, as is the first-class securities salesperson qualification; it may be obtained after joining.

Experience in activist-response or corporate-defense advisory, valuation, CMA or similar qualifications, business-level or higher English, large-project management, institutional-investor networks and cross-functional collaboration are welcomed. The position is full-time in Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. Working hours are 8:40–17:10 with a one-hour break. Holidays include weekends, public holidays and the year-end/New Year period, with 17–23 days of paid leave and additional leave programs. Working hours are smoke-free, and the workplace or duties may change to locations or work designated by the company, including telework locations.