Our Team – Kensho Capital Management
Dr. Leonard Meyer zu Brickwedde
President & CEO, Kensho Capital ManagementThe founder, president and CEO of Kensho has been at home in Japan for nearly three decades. As head of the Japan branch of Hypovereinsbank, he got into real estate finance when the market for institutional investors was developing from 2000 onwards. From 2004, Dr. Leonard Meyer zu Brickwedde opened the Japan branch of Hypo Real Estate, turning the company into the largest non-Japanese real estate lender in the country. In 2008, Dr. Meyer founded the Kenzo Capital Corporation and made a name for himself as a consultant and fund and asset manager for Japanese real estate. Kenzo launched the first German fund for Japanese residential real estate. After selling the Kenzo fund business, Dr. Meyer started Kensho. The name signals how its business model evolved: the consultant, fund and asset manager Kenzo – the Japanese syllables mean building and creating – is followed by Kensho (building and flying). Under Dr. Meyer’s leadership, Kensho invests in Japanese real estate and accompanies Japanese investors to Germany and Europe.
Ken Nagao
Member of the Board of Directors, Kensho Capital ManagementThe Chief Investment Officer of Kensho Capital Management Corporation has been committed to developing the Japanese real estate market since 2008. Ken Nagao acquired his expertise in real estate development, as well as asset and property management, as a partner in an urban developer in Seattle (USA). After that he was responsible for the growth of a family office for seven years. He then built up a team of advisors for Asian family offices and institutional investors looking to enter the Japanese market. His team convinced clients with their deep understanding of real estate and market analyses from both the macro and micro perspectives, and of the homogeneous integration of real estate in their environment. Within the Kensho Group, Mr. Nagao develops optimal investment strategies alongside investors, and implements those strategies transparently.
Hendrik Bierwirth
Member of the Board of Directors, Kensho Capital ManagementThe Head of Business Development of Kensho Capital Management Corporation draws on 10 years of experience of international positions and projects in Japan. After studying economics and cultural studies with a focus on East Asia, Hendrik Bierwirth headed the quality management team for navigation, telecommunications and driver assistance systems at the Japanese subsidiary of the car manufacturer BMW. He then switched to the venture capital side and worked in a leading position with ex-top managers from the Sony Group in a software start-up. In 2021 he completed an Executive MBA from Hitotsubashi Business School in Tokyo. Mr. Bierwirth is a partner in Kensho and leads the group’s corporate development.
Ryuichi Shinohara
Member of the Board of Directors, Kensho Capital ManagementThe Senior Advisor of Kensho Capital Management has more than 30 years of experience in the Global Markets business in Tokyo, London, and New York and has been in charge of institutional investor management since 2005. Ryuichi Shinohara commenced his career at the Industrial Bank of Japan in 1988 (now Mizuho), where he eventually acted as the head of the bank’s UST and MBS portfolio. He joined Bank of America as Managing Director and Executive Vice President, supervising the global markets business as a board member. After Bank of America acquired Merrill Lynch, he spearheaded the US Fixed Income business and US Mortgage business. Afterwards, he worked for Credit Agricole as the Head of Fixed Income Sales, leading the expansion of the securities lending and social impact bond businesses. At Kensho, Mr. Shinohara will leverage his experience and leadership with institutional investors in developing long-term client relationships.
Miki Kodama
Officer, Corporate Sales Dept., Kensho Capital ManagementAfter graduating from Keio University, Miki Kodama spent more than 20 years in the finance department of the Japanese subsidiary of the world’s largest diversified chemical manufacturer. Mainly based in Germany, he also worked as a treasury consultant at the company’s North American financial headquarters. His further career includes significant positions with one of the largest portal site management companies in Japan, head of finance of a company that handles the rental business, bookstores and the database marketing business, and financial director of the strategic subsidiary managing the MVNO business. After acquiring his CFP license, he also worked at a real estate financial company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Standard market as general manager of business administration. In his role as Relationship officer at Kensho he uses these experiences to serve as a bridge for Japanese and German investors.
Yoshishige Suzuki
Compliance Officer, Kensho Capital ManagementMr. Yoshishige Suzuki has worked as a legal and compliance officer for over 20 years at financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank Group, and MetLife Asset Management, after 12 years of banking experience at Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan. He has successfully implemented global risk management systems for large foreign financial institutions in Japan, such as Deutsche Bank Group, and Itaú Bank Group. While at Long Term Credit Bank and Mizuho Bank Group, he has successfully implemented Japanese regulatory-based business operations in overseas offices. At Kensho Investment Group, he will lead the implementation of a global standard risk management framework for investment and consulting services for domestic and foreign institutional investors. Mr. Suzuki is a graduate of the University of Tokyo School of Law, and is admitted to the New York State Bar.