Citi nabs Nomura senior MD as co-head of investment banking in Japan

Citi managing director Taiji Nagasaka will lead alongside new hire Akira Kiyota.

Citi has appointed Akira Kiyota and Taiji Nagasaka as co-heads of investment banking for Japan, effective 1 October 2025.

Kiyota joins Citi from Nomura, where he has served as a senior managing director and global head of mergers and acquisitions since 2022.

He has over 30 years of investment banking experience working in mergers and acquisitions, and healthcare and consumer coverage to clients globally. Prior to Nomura, Kiyota worked at J.P. Morgan Securities and Sanwa Bank.

Nagasaka, meanwhile, is currently a managing director, head of IB products, and head of ECM for Citi in Japan.

He has over 20 years of experience in Japan on advising clients on capital markets transactions and mergers and acquisitions.

Nagasaka joined Citi in 2022 from Mizuho Securities, where he was head of ECM. He has also worked at SMBC Nikko Securities Inc.

Kiyota tand Nagasaka will report to Jan Metzger, head of investment banking for Japan, Asia North & Australia and Asia South; and Robert Nakamura, Citi Country Officer and banking head for Japan.

Masuo Fukuda, vice chair of Citi Japan, and head of investment banking for Japan will assume the new role as Vice Chair for Japan and Asia North investment banking alongside his existing Citi Japan Vice Chair role.