Yuichi Alex Takayama has joined Frontier Advisors as head of the Melbourne-based investment consulting firm's first overseas office in Tokyo, a Frontier spokesman said.
Frontier, after eight years of groundwork establishing contacts with Japanese asset owners, will focus initially on offering advice on Australian private markets investments, with ambitions to serve clients on a broader array of opportunities going forward, the spokesman said.
"Asset owners in Asia have a strong interest in real estate and infrastructure opportunities in particular, yet don't typically have a lot of history investing in these sectors globally," noted Frontier CEO Andrew Polson in a news release.
With Frontier's two decades of experience as a top real asset adviser in Australia and the firm's status as one of the last sizable investment consultants not offering discretionary investment services, "we think we have a lot to offer" Japanese clients, Mr. Polson said.
Mr. Takayama comes to Frontier from Misaki Capital, a Tokyo-based hedge fund where he served as head of business development.
A Misaki spokesman couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
While serving Japanese clients will be Mr. Takayama's first priority, over time he will work "to help Frontier develop other business opportunities in Asian markets, such as the Republic of Korea," the news release said.
In 2020, Frontier won its first non-Australian retainer mandate from a client in next-door New Zealand, with a second overseas clients likely to be announced soon, the spokesman said.
