A veteran of the industry, Mr. Ito has over 25 years of experience in the investment banking industry in Japan. He has served as Managing Director and Head of the Japan Investment Banking Division at Lehman Brothers and most recently worked at SMBC Nikko Securities in Tokyo, where he was Managing Director of the Mergers and Acquisitions Group and Head of General Trading Firms and the Financial Sponsors Group. During his career, Mr. Ito worked on many market-leading transactions including, most recently, Amtek Auto’s acquisition of the iron and aluminium casting business of Asahi Tec and the sale of Tokyo Star Bank to China Trust.

In his role, Mr. Ito will be responsible for leading Credit Suisse’s advisory and capital markets business in Japan and enhancing coverage of the bank’s key clients. He will be based in Tokyo.

As Credit Suisse continues to invest significantly in the Asia Pacific region, Japan will play a pivotal role in further expanding the bank’s investment banking franchise in the region.

Joseph Gallagher, Vice Chairman of Investment Banking and Capital Markets for Asia Pacific at Credit Suisse, commented: "Japan continues to be a growing force in global M&A with significant momentum in outbound M&A volumes this year. With a strong team in place, Credit Suisse is well-positioned to capture cross-border opportunities through greater investment in Asia Pacific and by leveraging the bank’s global platform."

Martin Keeble, CEO, President and Representative Director of Credit Suisse Securities (Japan) Limited, added: "Credit Suisse has had a long-standing presence and history in Japan, and this hire reflects our ongoing commitment to growing our robust advisory and capital markets capabilities in Japan."

Credit Suisse has executed a number of landmark and innovative transactions for Japanese clients, including the sale of US-based premium spirits company Beam Inc. to Suntory Holdings Limited in a ground-breaking USD16 billion acquisition, for which Credit Suisse acted as financial advisor to Beam. The transaction was named Japan Deal of the Year in 2015 by FinanceAsia. Credit Suisse also advised Tokio Marine on its USD 7.5 billion acquisition of HCC Insurance in 2015 in addition to SoftBank Corp. on its acquisition of Sprint Nextel Corp. in 2013. Other innovative transactions include Toppan Printing’s JPY 80 billion dual-tranche convertible bond offering in 2013.

Credit Suisse provides a wide range of Investment Banking and Private Banking & Wealth Management services in Japan. As one of the earliest foreign financial institutions to enter the market, Credit Suisse has a long history of commitment to the country.