Japan Sakigake Strategy

Katsunori Ogawa joined the firm in 1994. He was appointed as a client relationship manager for public pension funds in 1997.

In 2002, Katsunori became a portfolio manager of a Japanese equities active strategy. He applies a thematic/top-down approach in addition to bottom-up stock picking to generate alpha on a constant basis. He is one of the first investors to capture Asian (especially Chinese) consumer’s demand for Japanese consumer durable goods and was an early investor in companies like Unicharm (a paper nappy maker) and Yakult (lactic fermenting beverages maker).

Katsunori received a BA in economics from Keio University. He is a Chartered Member of the Securities Analysts Association of Japan (CMA) and a Certified International Investment Analyst (CIIA).

Nagato started his career at a securities trading company and later moved to a financial service data company, managing consensus data for corporate earnings based on sell side analysts’ forecasts. Nagato then attended business school before commencing his career at SuMi TRUST in 2007 as a research analyst in chemicals, textiles and electrical appliances.

He joined the team to become a portfolio manager of a Japanese equity active strategy in August 2012.

Nagato received an MBA from Keio University with a concentration in corporate finance and is a Chartered Member of the Securities Analysts Association of Japan (CMA).

Masahito Kondo joined the firm as a Japanese equity research analyst in 2007. Prior to joining, he worked at a securities company as a Japanese equity strategist. As a research analyst at SuMi TRUST, he covered various industries including the mining and petroleum refinery, electricity and gas, food and beverage (including cigarettes), toiletry product, retail industry and pharmacy.

He became a portfolio manager of a Japanese equity active strategy in July 2018 and joined the Sakigake team in November 2021.

Masahito received a BA in business and commerce from Keio University. He is a Certified Member Analyst of the Securities Analysts Association of Japan (CMA), a Certified International Investment Analyst (CIIA), and a Certified Financial Technician (CFTe®).

Kazunaga is a Portfolio Manager responsible for Japanese equity active strategy. He joined the firm as a Japanese and global equity research analyst in 2020. Prior to joining SuMi Trust AM, he worked at another Tokyo-based asset management company as a global equity portfolio manager and analyst for 5 years. Kazunaga received a BA in Commerce from Hitotsubashi University. He is a CFA® charter holder and a Certified Member Analyst of the Securities Analysts Association of Japan (CMA).