Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management (SuMi Trust), one of Japan’s largest asset managers with US$748bn AUM (as at August 2025), has named Takahiro Kobayashi as its new president and CEO.
Kobayashi will replace Yoshio Hishida, the firm’s president and CEO since 2018, as part of a phased transition of responsibilities, the company said in a statement today. Hishida will remain a non-executive director and will take on the role of Global Asset Management Officer for the whole SuMi TRUST Group.
Kobayashi – who has 20 years of experience – joined Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank in 2004 and became executive officer of SuMi TRUST Asset Management in 2023.
As president, his role will be to continue to drive SuMi TRUST’s global expansion, with the firm bidding to connecting with investors in the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia where there is growing demand for SuMi TRUST’s active Japanese products and passive mandates.
Concerning opportunities in international markets, Kobayashi said: “Overseas investors are showing increasing interest in the Japanese market and we have received a growing number of inquiries about investment opportunities. Expectations are high for the transformation of Japanese companies, particularly governance reforms aimed at improving Return on Equity (ROE) and Price-to-Book Value (PBR).
“We believe this momentum will help drive further growth in Japan’s equity market, while also creating significant growth opportunities for our Japanese equity active strategies, which are built on decades of expertise in selecting quality companies.”
On his plans for the firm, he bids to create an environment where all officers and employees can take “bold action”.
“My aim is to gradually build such an organisation over time. For this reason, in my interactions with employees, I constantly remind myself to remain humble. As the saying goes, ‘The ears of rice bow lower as they bear fruit’ – I want to embody that spirit.”
