Mr. Watanabe is the Chairman of Asia Corporate Finance at Houlihan Lokey. He has been a leading figure in the field of M&A advisory and corporate valuation in Japan for more than four decades. Over the course of his extensive career, he has played a pivotal role in originating and closing numerous first-time landmark domestic and cross-border transactions involving Japanese companies. Additionally, Mr. Watanabe has extensive expertise in corporate governance, having served on the board of several prominent Japanese and global companies, including most recently as Chairman of the board of directors of Toshiba Corporation, where he led the company through the largest privatization deal in Japan’s history. He is based in the firm’s Tokyo office.
Previously, Mr. Watanabe founded GCA Corporation, which was acquired by Houlihan Lokey in 2021. GCA was established in 2004 and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2006, which was the first IPO by an M&A advisory firm. Since then, Mr. Watanabe successfully grew the business into a global M&A advisory firm with 24 offices and 400 professionals, generating more than $400 million in revenue.
Mr. Watanabe began his M&A career in 1982 when he joined KPMG's New York office, where he provided M&A advisory services to Japanese companies entering the U.S. market. His former roles include serving as Independent Director and Auditing Committee Chairman of Ranbaxy Laboratories, Independent Director of Samson Investment Company and Qualicaps Co., Ltd., and a member of the board of trustees of the International Valuation Standards Council (IVSC). Currently, Mr. Watanabe is Independent Director of JERA Co., Inc., and Maruho Co., Ltd.
Mr. Watanabe has taught as Professor of Kobe University Graduate School of Management, Visiting Faculty Member of Hitotsubashi University Law School, Visiting Professor of the Graduate School of Strategic Management at Chuo University, and Visiting Professor of the Graduate School of Business Administration at Kobe University.
Mr. Watanabe holds a B.A. in Commerce and Accounting from Chuo University. He is a Certified Public Accountant in Japan and the U.S. state of Colorado.