Established in 2001 by David Baran and Kazuhiko Shibata, Symphony Financial Partners was born out of a unique encounter on opposite sides of the deal table. Their shared vision to unlock the potential within asset-rich Japanese companies trading at discounted valuations became the driving force behind our establishment.
With a remarkable 100+ years of combined experience investing in Japan, our seasoned team has consistently delivered outstanding results for over two decades. Our unwavering commitment to excellence, bolstered by a stable and experienced leadership team, ensures that we possess a deep understanding of the market dynamics and opportunities.
Our investor roster proudly includes prestigious blue-chip foundations, endowments, sovereign wealth entities, and prominent family offices, a testament to the trust and confidence placed in us as a result of our exceptional track record and commitment to delivering superior returns.
39 years’ experience. Senior Japanese equities and equity derivative proprietary trader for Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs, and Barclays Capital in Tokyo. University of California, Berkeley – B.A., Columbia University – M.A., fluent in Japanese.
42 years’ experience. Senior advisor to major corporate clients and principal transactions, having represented Nomura Securities in the U.S. and Tokyo to advise on, negotiate and execute numerous transactions. Hitotsubashi University – B.A., Harvard Law School – LL.M., member of the New York Bar, fluent in English.
23 years' experience, joined in 2005. Former fixed-income credit analyst, including special situations and principal investment transactions, for Goldman Sachs Japan.
35 years' experience, joined in 2005. Former equity proprietary trader at HSBC (Sydney, Tokyo, and Hong Kong).
23 years' experience, joined in 2005. Former senior account manager at CITCO, senior consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers. She is a Chartered Accountant with Chartered Accountants in Australia and New Zealand.
16 years’ experience, joined in 2023. Led Global Business Development, Fundraising, and Investor Relations for EQT’s active ownership hedge fund franchise. Former Director of Investor Relations with Cevian Capital. Previously, he also worked at BlackRock and Armistice Capital.
23 years' experience, joined in 2017. Former vice president of prime brokerage sales for global institutional investors in Goldman Sachs Japan, and executive director and vice president of global securities lending in Goldman Sachs (Asia) and Goldman Sachs Japan respectively.
10 years’ experience, joined in 2024. Former Investor Relations Officer at Pleiad Investment Advisors in Hong Kong. Previously, she worked at Indus Capital Partners and Lord, Abbett & Co. in the U.S. She is a CFA Charterholder.
16 years' experience, joined in 2015. Former multi-asset trader at RBC Private Bank and head of equity sales and dealing team at Maybank Kim Eng.
10 years' experience, joined in 2018. Former analyst at J.P. Morgan Asset Management in the Product Development team, launching new funds.
5 years' experience, joined in 2024. Former senior associate in the Investment Banking division at Nomura Securities in the U.S. and Japan.
5 years’ experience, joined in 2020. Former quantitative associate intern at Barclays, developing exotic options pricing models using deep learning, and former railway engineer at SMRT Corporation. He is a Financial Risk Manager (FRM)-Certified Professional.