Quick Questions with an Investment Banking Associate (Japan)
Our guest today is a bilingual IBD Associate based in Japan who has 5 years’ experience in Investment Banking (Industry Group) for a Japanese Bank:
Image Source: ブックレビュー 戸嶋浩二ほか『M＆A契約 モデル条項と解説』
What website or resource do you find the most useful for keeping up to date with your industry?
The main ones are Bloomberg, Nikkei, WSJ, FT, MergerMarket, NIKKEI REAL ESTATE MARKET REPORT and Mingtiandi.
Do you have any physical item or gadget that you find essential to your work?
Since we have to attend multiple meetings per day, the virtual note book approved by the company (iPad) is quite frequent used. And also, after the pandemic, we work from home more often, so I bought a wide screen monitor and a gaming chair.
What has been your most impactful resource to learn since graduating your bachelors?
I found that CPA study was helpful for the financial modelling. Here are the books I used to refer to:
Investment Banking: Valuation, LBOs, M&A, and IPOs
M&A契約――モデル条項と解説
税務・法務を統合したM&A戦略<第2版> (the 3rd edition is also available)
ファイナンス法大全（上）（下）
金融商品取引法――資本市場と開示編〔第3版〕
How do you organise and track the tasks you need to achieve during the day and week?
I kick start my day by making/updating my task list and schedule in Outlook on a day-to-day basis. At the end of the day, I review my to-dos and sort emails into folders to double-check.
What three specific technical or soft skills do you think are the most important to a successful career in Investment Banking:
I believe that soft skills are most important to continue the career as an investment banker. If I had to pick three, they would be:
Curiosity - Being an investment banker is not only to execute deals, but also to make an impact on the market. For that, I believe it is necessary not only to have technical skills, but also to keep learning what is happening in the world;
Taking ownership - Investment banking work is generally dynamic and intensive and requires commitment. It is important to take responsibility for your work and take initiative all the time;
Stretching mindset - Sometimes you will need to do more than your current capability to overcome challenges. The important thing is to enjoy it as an opportunity for personal growth.
Why were you interested in joining Investment Banking?
I feel it is interesting to be involved in a variety of deals by utilizing the cutting-edge finance/M&A knowledge.
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