Welcome to Astris Advisory Japan
Our goal is to build strong partnerships with our clients based on trust, understanding, and shared goals.
Whether you are an existing client reviewing our services, or a new potential client looking to find out more about Astris Advisory, please explore our website for more information.
We have a clear vision of who we are in Japan – a premium offering across the corporate advisory, investment research, and placement agency businesses. We are client-focused, servicing a select group of companies, institutions, and funds.
Since our founding in the Summer of 2018, our business has continued to grow. We are now a team of over 20 people across 3 different businesses and backed by 5 financial licenses.
With international travel now returning to normal, we look forward to welcoming you here in Tokyo. Japan remains a fantastic place to do business and we are your gateway here.
David Shirt
Chief Executive Officer
Astris Advisory Japan K.K.
David Shirt has been in Japan for a total of 18 of the last 25 years and has worked in the equity market throughout at institutions such as JP Morgan Securities, Jefferies Japan and lately Macquarie Capital Securities Japan Limited.
In 2004 he became Head of Sales at JP Morgan Securities in Japan and Head of Equity in 2009. Later in 2014 David became the Branch Manager and Representative for Jefferies Japan, and from 2015 onwards he was employed as Country Head of Macquarie Capital Securities, Japan Limited.
David majored in Japanese at the University of Sheffield in the UK and is proficient in Japanese.
Tom has worked as an accountant in the financial services industry in Tokyo for more than 20 years.
Initially coming to Japan for a role at Lehman Brothers, he then worked at Deutsche Bank and most recently at MetLife Insurance. He has held various senior finance roles in controlling, financial planning & analysis, and project management.
Tom is a qualified accountant (CPA Australia) and is proficient in Japanese.
Keiichiro has been in the financial industry for more than 25 years. He has worked at Salomon Brothers, Credit Suisse, Merrill Lynch, and Citigroup with experience in various departments including Operations, Technology, Finance and Compliance.
He has also helped foreign financial firms set up business in Tokyo.
Hiroyuki has been working extensively in financial markets both domestic and offshore for over 25 years.
During 10 years working at Macquarie Japan, where he used to work very closely with the founders of Astris Advisory Japan, he proactively sought business/cross selling opportunities in the area of cash equity sales and ECM related businesses . He also worked for CLSA Japan, ABN AMRO, Deutsche Bank both in Australia as well as in London.
He can work with both domestic and offshore asset managers, pension funds, institutions as well as corporate for any financial services you may have.
Ross studied political science with a focus on Japan and the Japanese language at the University of California, Berkeley and has made Japan his home for the past 35 years. Based in Tokyo and Hong Kong, he has worked in equity and equity derivatives sales for brokers including SG Warburg, Mees Pearson, Société Générale, JP Morgan, CLSA, and BNP Paribas. Since 1986, he has represented some of the world's largest institutional clients.
Tomoyoshi has been in the financial industry for over 25 years, covering debt and equity businesses.
He started his career with Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan where he worked in corporate finance. He was also seconded to the government entity in charge of Official Development Assistance (ODA) loans to developing countries.
At Standard & Poor’s he worked as a credit rating analyst of J-REITs and CMBS and assigned the first credit ratings to J-REITs upon the market launch in 2001.
He then worked at Morgan Stanley MUFG, Macquarie Capital Securities, and BofA Securities as a sell-side analyst covering real estate, J-REIT, housing, and housing equipment industries.
Tomoyoshi graduated from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and is a CFA charter holder.
Andrew has lived in Japan for 25 years, with 20 years of Japanese equity experience.
He started his career with 10 years on the sell-side as an analyst covering the automotive sector at Citigroup, KBC, and BNP Paribas, and then switched to the buy-side, initially at Rockhampton Management and most recently at Point 72 Asset Management, mainly covering the broader automotive sector.
He is a fluent Japanese speaker, having come to Japan on a Monbusho Japanese government scholarship, and is a graduate of Kobe University where he majored in Economics.
Hiroshi was a ranked equity analyst at KBC Securities Japan and JPMorgan Securities in Tokyo covering Japanese tech stocks. In London, he worked in Pan Asian Equity sales at Daiwa Capital Markets, and then switched to the buy-side as an analyst at a thematic robotics and automation fund, and co-founded a global high-quality franchise fund. Qualifying at KPMG, Hiroshi is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Makoto Hojo has over 14 years of experience in the finance industry, including 5 years on the buy-side and 6 years on the sell-side. She has extensive experience in qualitative and quantitative research on stocks and macroeconomics and in preparing asset management investment reports. She also plans and manages investor events. She has worked for Viking Global Investors, CLSA, and Lombard Odier.
Tim has worked in investment banking for over 15 years in the UK and Japan. He has held positions in sales in Japanese equities at companies such as Daiwa, Morgan Stanley, and Mizuho as well as roles within the research department. Tim has covered Japan specialist clients and global institutional accounts in Europe, with a focus on Japanese small-cap stocks. He lived in Japan for over 12 years and reads and speaks Japanese fluently.
Jessica brings 40 years of experience in Japanese Equities and Multi-Asset knowledge through her involvement in Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management as well as with her years of service to Institutional Investors on the Sell side in HSBC, Citigroup, MUFG Secs. and Daiwa Securities based in global financial centers such as London, Tokyo, and Singapore.
Her most recent role was in Multi-Asset Research and Business Development for Absolute Strategy Research, an independent research boutique in London. She also brings to Astris Advisory her multi-lingual abilities and robust company knowledge to galvanise her skillset.
Adrian has an MBA from Bristol University and the ENPC in Paris, and speaks several languages fluently including Japanese, Mandarin, Russian and French.
Adrian first came to Japan in 1987. On the sell side at companies such as CLSA and Commerzbank Adrian visited hundreds of small and middle-sized companies across Asia. He concentrates on identifying quality businesses.
Michael has held sell-side roles in quantitative and fundamental research stretching back 15 years. He was previously at Lehman Brothers Securities in Tokyo and Nomura Securities in Hong Kong and most recently, Jefferies.
He builds value-added quantitative models that become key components of client investment decisions.
Michael graduated with an MBA from the University of Toronto and is a CFA charterholder.
Ian has been active as a commodity analyst for over 20 years at consulting firm CRU Group, the SMM and Rio Tinto. On the sell-side he held positions at CLSA and Macquarie. He lived in China from 2003 to 2014 and Singapore from 2014 to 2021, during which time he has developed and built unparalled expertise in ferrous, non-ferrous and new energy (renewables) markets. Ian is well-known in the commodity industry, and frequently invited as a lecture speaker at conferences and industry events.
Kirk has worked for over 25 years as a sell-side analyst at both traditional investment banks (SBC Warburg Dillon Read, Dresdner Kleinwort) and independent research providers (New Street Research, Redex Research). He has been covering Japanese companies since 2000 and has spent 16 of the last 23 years in Tokyo.
We work as a partnership and this is a principle that defines the relationship between our people and with our clients. We are a growing business with big ambitions and our collegiate environment means we all work together to get the best possible results for both the firm and our clients.
We strive to attain the highest ethical and professional standards supported by our strong internal culture. Our culture and values are at the forefront of everything we do.
Giving back to the community is incredibly important and we aim to further our efforts every year.
Astris Advisory continues to be a supporter of FIT for Charity. FIT for Charity is a joint effort of the financial industry to make a difference by raising money for charity, contributing positively to the community, fostering teamwork and building relationships within the company and across the industry.
Through the cycling group Knights in White Lycra, our CEO, David Shirt, has cycled 500km around Japan in 2022 and 2023, to raise money for charity.
Astris Advisory supports Mirai no Mori, a non-profit organization that creates life-changing outdoor programs for underprivileged children in Japan, helping them grow into successful young adults.
In 2023 we were a lead sponsor of the ride from Utsunomiya to Koriyama to Fukushima to Matsushima to Ichinoseki.
As a platinum sponsor of the 10th anniversary charity cycling event "Knights in White Lycra", we are honored to support the wonderful activities of NPO Mirai no Mori and Knights in White Lycra.
Pictured with David Shirt on the final day of the ride this year is Julia Longbottom, the British Ambassador.