～Message from Representative Director～
In December 2023, the Japanese government published the “Policy Plan for Promoting Japan as a Leading Asset Management Center,” requiring Japan‘s asset management sector and asset owners to reform their businesses and upgrade their overall functions.
Reform in the asset management sector will focus on enhancing expertise within organizations, reforming organizational structures and systems, and refining investment methods and asset classes. However, the key is identifying their core competencies and allocating limited management resources to fulfill their fiduciary responsibility to asset owners.
For asset owners, a variety of options exist from a fiduciary responsibility viewpoint. Given constraints such as acceptable risk levels, the investment management system, and the amount of assets under management, it is necessary to pursue the most efficient management method to achieve investment goals. However, securing human resources well-versed in asset management, as well as enhancing the system, is generally difficult. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a cost-effective system and utilize outsourcing, such as introducing an OCIO, depending on the situation.
This company is a minor player in the crowded asset management industry, especially among non-Japanese firms. Although the scope of activities is limited, I have experience with a variety of asset classes, ranging from traditional assets to alternative investments, such as hedge funds and private assets. Additionally, I have experience with a variety of investment management practices, including middle and back office, front office management, and consulting sales, with a focus on pension funds. I have also conducted due diligence for private equity (PE) funds and long-only funds.
With this knowledge and work experience, I plan to contribute to the development of the asset management business in Japan for the next generations, considering the perspectives of both asset managers and asset owners.
Note: All opinions and information expressed on this website are those of the representative director of Crossover Asset Consulting Co., Ltd. They are not related to other companies for which the representative director works, and do not represent the official position or views of those companies.
Akira Inoue
Representative Director
Corporate Mission
Contribute to the mid- to long-term construction of institutional investors' portfolios and asset management operations by providing relevant information and services that transcend the boundaries between private and public markets and asset classes.
The term VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity), derived from military terminology used to describe geopolitical risk, has become a business term since the 2010s.
There has been a growing need for alternative investments called private assets, which are subject to liquidity constraints. In particular, in Japan, which until recently was known as a "world without interest rates," pension funds and financial institutions have often constructed and managed efficient portfolios that meet their investment objectives by investing mainly in income assets such as private debt funds and privately placed REITs.
However, investing in private assets is not always the right choice for the asset owners, depending on their investment objectives, asset size, regulatory trends, and other factors. In addition, while it is generally believed that the inclusion of private assets improves the risk/return characteristics of a portfolio, the expected outcome may not necessarily be realized in the short term. Furthermore, given the rapid evolution of AI, which was unimaginable a few years ago, we assume that in the future market environment, events that differ from conventional patterns and thinking may occur, such as unconventional price movements, changes in correlations between asset classes, and changes in money flows in the markets in which we invest.
In an environment where the future is intertwined with factors that are difficult to predict, the key to asset management is for the asset owners to understand the markets, construct diversifid portfolio to the extent that they can explain to stakeholders in their own words, and patiently practice portfolio management to achieve their investment goals from a medium- to long-term perspective. Although it is easy to fall into short-term thinking or follow trends, including myself, I intend to develop this business by adhering to the basics and putting priority on the fiduciary responsibility to asset owners and ultimate beneficiaries.
Biographies of Representative Director
After graduating from Tohoku University, Akira Inoue joined Nippon Life Insurance Company (NLI) in 1986. From 1988 on, he was in charge of foreign bond and foreign exchange back-office operations, the development of foreign bond ledger-keeping systems and foreign currency deposit systems, and the investment evaluation of overseas investments at the International Investment Department. Sponsored by NLI, he attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and earned an MBA in 1995.
He then worked as a U.S. equity analyst at Nissay Asset Management Corporation (NAMCO), a wholly-owned subsidiary of NLI, in New York. There, he developed and managed the tactical asset allocation model and led the U.S. IG corporate bond team. In 1998, he moved to the AMS Promotion Department in Tokyo、He was a member of two project teams: one focused on consolidating asset management functions within the NLI group, and the other on introducing a defined contribution pension plan.
In 2000, he transferred to Nissay Asset Management Corporation, where he engaged in various activities, including developing a privately placed investment fund scheme, managing foreign bond portfolios, marketing to private pension funds and regional financial institutions, managing retail investment trusts, and IDD of PE funds in APAC and long-only funds.
In 2016, he worked at BFC Asset Management Corporation (currently Mercer Investments), where he was primarily responsible for developing new private and public pension clients. In 2017, he joined GI Capital Management Corporation as director and head of the pension advisory asset management division. He served both public and private pension clients and maintained relationships with major pension consultant firms in Tokyo.
From September 2023 onward, he worked as a freelancer, building a network of domestic venture capital and start-up companies. From October to December 2024, he worked as a sales advisor for HI-TALENT Corporation, developing sales for private equity (PE) funds and publicly traded financial companies in Japan. In January 2025, he founded Crossover Asset Consulting Co., Ltd. Starting in August 2025, he also works as a contract employee at Teneo Partners Japan Limited, a fully licensed securities company.
【Qualifications, etc.】
- Certified member of Japan Securities Analyst Association
- Class-1 Sales Representative