Leadership
Related Information
Head of Asset Management, Executive Director
Takashi Endo
Joined Seven Seas as an Executive Director leading the firm's asset management operations.
Previously, he was a Senior Vice President at PAG, leading the opportunistic real estate investment group's asset management efforts in Japan. Before joining PAG, he led both the acquisitions and asset management teams in the Japanese real estate investment arm of Fidelity Investments and spearheaded the creation of their office and residential portfolios.
Graduated with a Master of Science degree in Real Estate Development from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Keio University.
Special Adviser
Kōichi Iki
Appointed as Senior Advisor of Seven Seas in July 2020.
Based on a wealth of experience gained over the course of more than 50 years at Dai-ichi Life Insurance, Koichi Iki was appointed Senior Advisor at Seven Seas to provide advice on a wide range of matters related to company management and to introduce projects and clients using his network of connections.
He served as Vice President and Representative Director of Dai-ichi Life Mutual Insurance Co., President and Representative Director of Dai-ichi Building Co., Ltd., Chairman and Representative Director of DIAM Co., Ltd., Vice Chairman of Japan Real Estate Investment Advisors Association, and External Director of Tokyu Fudosan Holdings.
He currently serves as External Director (member of the Audit Committee) of True Data, Inc. and Vice Chairman of the Lifelong Health and Wellness Association.
Co-Founder and CEO
Minoru Yonekura
Minoru Yonekura co-founded Seven Seas in 2009 and is engaged in the overall management of the company. He served as Managing Director of the Lehman Brothers' Global Real Estate Group, where he was in charge of marketing real estate transactions. He was handling business revitalization and J-REIT listings along with other services. In 1999, he joined the company as Senior Vice President. He was promoted to Managing Director in 2004, then became a member of the Japan Management Committee in 2007.
Prior to joining Lehman Brothers, he worked at the Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan for 15 years, where he was involved in securitization and real estate advisory services. He also served as a member of the real estate securitization working group of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
He graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo, and holds an MBA from the London Business School.
Co-Founder and COO
Kenya Shimono
Kenya Shimono co-founded Seven Seas in 2009 and has served on the Board of Directors, overseeing acquisitions, asset management, and fund management.
He served as Senior Vice President at Lehman Brothers' Global Real Estate Group, where he oversaw debt investment, corporate revitalization investment, real estate investment and a wide variety of other services overseeing the acquisition and asset management functions of the business.
Prior to joining Lehman Brothers, he helped establish the Japan branch of GMAC Commercial Mortgage Corp., where he was involved in debt investment and corporate revitalization projects. In the sponsoring project for Japan Leasing, a company that was restructured, he was primarily responsible for leveraging assets and human resources from the business transfer to build a new organization. He has helped expand the business not only within Japan, but throughout Asia.
He has served as General Manager in four joint projects for the securitization of non-performing loans with The Resolution and Collection Corporation and has been involved in the final disposal of a regional bank taken over by the Deposit Insurance Corporation of Japan.
He graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Meiji Gakuin University and attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (for a post-bachelor non-degree program).
Executive Director
Akio Ehara
A founding member of Seven Seas.
Akio Ehara worked at Japan Real Estate Institute and CB Richard Ellis before joining Lehman Brothers in 2001. As Senior Vice President of Lehman Brothers' Global Real Estate Group, he was responsible for purchasing non-performing loans, restructuring debtors' businesses, and enhancing the value of collateral real estate.
He possesses extensive experience in on-site operations and in the management of external consultants. He has played a central role in drafting revitalization plans and collection policies in four joint ventures with The Resolution and Collection Corporation. He has drawn up strategies and planned capital projects that has involved asset repositioning through major property usage change, and acquiring operating assets through forward commitment transactions.
Served as a Board of Director of a sponsor company established to inject rescue equity into a regional bank and to support hospitality and healthcare assets and corporations in distress.
Graduated from the School of Political Science and Economics at Waseda University.
Licensed Real Estate Appraiser and Real Estate Notary.
Head of Investor Relations, Director
Soichiro Ishikawa
A founding member of Seven Seas.
Former Senior Vice President at Lehman Brothers' Global Real Estate Group Soichiro Ishikawa has been involved in real estate companies investments and real estate finance as well as management services such as providing administrative divisions with advice around performance management methods.
Before joining Lehman Brothers in 2004, he worked at Ernst & Young, handling securitization and monetary claims for foreign financial institutions and providing advisory services for company mergers and acquisitions. At The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, he was involved in the liquidation of finance receivables through secondment to group trust banks, as well as securitization consulting and advisory services.
Graduated with a degree in Political Science from the Faculty of Law, Keio University.
Head of Asset Management, Executive Director
Takashi Endo
Joined Seven Seas as an Executive Director leading the firm's asset management operations.
Previously, he was a Senior Vice President at PAG, leading the opportunistic real estate investment group's asset management efforts in Japan. Before joining PAG, he led both the acquisitions and asset management teams in the Japanese real estate investment arm of Fidelity Investments and spearheaded the creation of their office and residential portfolios.
Graduated with a Master of Science degree in Real Estate Development from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Keio University.
Special Adviser
Kōichi Iki
Appointed as Senior Advisor of Seven Seas in July 2020.
Based on a wealth of experience gained over the course of more than 50 years at Dai-ichi Life Insurance, Koichi Iki was appointed Senior Advisor at Seven Seas to provide advice on a wide range of matters related to company management and to introduce projects and clients using his network of connections.
He served as Vice President and Representative Director of Dai-ichi Life Mutual Insurance Co., President and Representative Director of Dai-ichi Building Co., Ltd., Chairman and Representative Director of DIAM Co., Ltd., Vice Chairman of Japan Real Estate Investment Advisors Association, and External Director of Tokyu Fudosan Holdings.
He currently serves as External Director (member of the Audit Committee) of True Data, Inc. and Vice Chairman of the Lifelong Health and Wellness Association.
Co-Founder and CEO
Minoru Yonekura
Minoru Yonekura co-founded Seven Seas in 2009 and is engaged in the overall management of the company. He served as Managing Director of the Lehman Brothers' Global Real Estate Group, where he was in charge of marketing real estate transactions. He was handling business revitalization and J-REIT listings along with other services. In 1999, he joined the company as Senior Vice President. He was promoted to Managing Director in 2004, then became a member of the Japan Management Committee in 2007.
Prior to joining Lehman Brothers, he worked at the Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan for 15 years, where he was involved in securitization and real estate advisory services. He also served as a member of the real estate securitization working group of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
He graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo, and holds an MBA from the London Business School.
Co-Founder and COO
Kenya Shimono
Kenya Shimono co-founded Seven Seas in 2009 and has served on the Board of Directors, overseeing acquisitions, asset management, and fund management.
He served as Senior Vice President at Lehman Brothers' Global Real Estate Group, where he oversaw debt investment, corporate revitalization investment, real estate investment and a wide variety of other services overseeing the acquisition and asset management functions of the business.
Prior to joining Lehman Brothers, he helped establish the Japan branch of GMAC Commercial Mortgage Corp., where he was involved in debt investment and corporate revitalization projects. In the sponsoring project for Japan Leasing, a company that was restructured, he was primarily responsible for leveraging assets and human resources from the business transfer to build a new organization. He has helped expand the business not only within Japan, but throughout Asia.
He has served as General Manager in four joint projects for the securitization of non-performing loans with The Resolution and Collection Corporation and has been involved in the final disposal of a regional bank taken over by the Deposit Insurance Corporation of Japan.
He graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Meiji Gakuin University and attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (for a post-bachelor non-degree program).