Mr. Kobayashi is an Executive Director in Houlihan Lokey’s Corporate Finance business. He has nearly 15 years of M&A advisory experience in a wide range of sectors and deal types. He is based in the firm’s Tokyo office.
Previously, Mr. Kobayashi was an Executive Director of GCA Advisors and a member of GCA Technovation, which was acquired by Houlihan Lokey in 2021. Prior to joining GCA, he was with PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he specialized in tax advisory for M&A and organizational restructuring.
Mr. Kobayashi advised on multiple transactions while at GCA, including the acquisition by Konica Minolta and INCJ of Ambry Genetics; the joint strategic investment by Kirin Holdings Co. and Mitsui & Co. in Thorne Research; the acquisition of Asahi Fire & Marine Insurance Co. by Rakuten; the sale of Japan Tobacco’s vending machine business to Suntory Beverage & Food; the sale of Marubeni’s Alaska-based seafood processing subsidiary; the sale of Yokohama Rubber’s adhesives and sealant business to Swiss-based Sika AG; the management buyout of 1st Holdings; Hitachi’s business integration with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in the thermal power generation business; and the management buyout of Culture Convenience Club, among others.
Mr. Kobayashi holds a B.A. in Economics from Keio University. He is a Certified Public Tax Accountant in Japan.