Mizuho appoints new Asia leadership

Mizuho has appointed a new executive team for its Asian securities arm. Taking over as chairman is Kentaro Akashi, while Seiichiro Miyaoka becomes president and chief executive officer, effective April 1, 2014.

Akashi is a 30-year veteran of Mizuho and takes over as Asia chairman from Hidetake Nakamura, who was appointed to the position one year ago. He has held various senior positions within the group in Japan and the US. He was previously executive officer and general manager of Mizuho Bank Hong Kong, where he has worked for the past four years.

Miyaoka replaces Hideyuki Kawashima, having joined the bank in February last year. He became deputy president of the Asia securities business in May, when he relocated to Hong Kong. Before joining Mizuho he was head of debt capital markets and debt syndicate at UBS in Tokyo, and had previously spent more than 20 years at Nomura, including stints in London and Singapore.

In a statement, the bank said Akashi and Miyaoka will leverage the group’s global network to strengthen its Asian products.

The bank has also appointed Paul Andersson as Asia ex-Japan head of equities in Hong Kong. He will report locally to Miyaoka and globally to Yohei Osade, Mizuho’s global head of pan-Asian equities. In addition to overseeing Mizuho’s pan-Asian equities and convertible bond desks locally in Hong Kong and Singapore, he will also serve as head of global Asian equity sales (ex-Japan).

Before joining Mizuho, Andersson spent 15 years at Citi, were his most recent role was head of Asian equity derivative and convertible sales.