Team

Minoru Awabayashi

Founder CEO and Managing Partner

Mr. Awabayashi has extensive experience over 40 years as a strategic advisor for Japanese companies entering foreign markets and for foreign companies entering Japan and Asian markets. His expertise is cross-border negotiations on behalf of his clients, based on differences in culture and customs between the parties. Before launching M&A Strategy Advisors, Co., Ltd., in October 2024, he served as a senior member of Takenaka Partners Tokyo office, providing consulting services to many Japanese clients for cross-border acquisitions in United States and in Europe and to a number of American companies for selling their Japan subsidiaries.  Mr. Awabayashi also currently serves as an independent Director of ASKA Pharmaceutical Holdings (TSE Prime 4886)

From 1983 through 1997 Mr. Awabayashi was a Co-founder and Managing Partner of Pacific Marketing Partners

Mr. Awabayashi is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Environmental Design. 
Residing in Tokyo, Japan.

Yoshio Takai

Founder and Managing Partner

Mr. Takai has a wide array of experiences in cross-border M&A as well as in corporate management of publicly traded Japanese companies’ US subsidiaries. He has been with Long Term Credit Bank of Japan for over 10 years and served as a core member of the M&A division of the bank, providing full scope of cross-border M&A advisory services to Japanese clients. Then he joined Overhead Door Corporation in Dallas acquired by Sanwa Holdings Corporation, implemented PMI and led a major acquisition done by Overhead Door. Subsequently, he joined as CFO Japan Pulp and Paper USA which acquired Gould Paper Corporation in New York, implemented PMI and managed acquisitions done by Gould Paper. Before joining M&A Strategy Advisors, Co., Ltd., he served as a Managing Director of Takenaka Partners providing M&A advisory services to Japanese clients. Mr. Takai received a Bachelor of Science degree in Material Science from Yokohama National University and a Master of Science degree in Management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Residing in New York.

Yasuteru Tachibana

Managing Director

Mr. Tachibana was stationed in Chicago as Managing Director of ETO Precision of America, where he was involved in the import/wholesale of automotive parts. After establishing a U.S. sales office for a Japanese company and serving as Managing Director, he established T-Associates LLC, which provides advisory services for exports to the U.S.and entry into the U.S. At the same time, he served as the Chicago contact for Takenaka Partners. He also served as a coordinator for JETRO Chicago. Most recently, he launched Project Berner Global Group to strengthen export to the U.S./entry into U.S. support for Japanese start-ups and participated in the launch of M&A Strategic Advisors, Inc.
Residing in Chicago. 

Michael G. Roy

Senior Advisor

Mr. Roy is a Managing Director of Pacific Marketing Partners, and he manages the San Francisco Bay Area office of the firm. He has broad based experience in structuring financial transactions, and in managing mergers and acquisitions in the food, consumer products, industrial products, and technology industries. He began his business career as a senior associate with the American investment banking firm Lehman Brothers, Kuhn Loeb, Inc., and he served as the President and CEO of two specialty financial service firms in San Francisco. He has represented numerous U. S. and Japanese companies in financial transactions in the U. S. He is an experienced corporate strategic analyst and implementer and he has represented U. S. food, beverage, consumer products, and industrial technology companies in distribution and strategic alliance negotiations with Japanese and other Asian companies. Mr. Roy is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with degrees in Philosophy and Theology. He is a former Regular Officer in the U.S. Navy.”
Residing in San Francisco Bay Area.