Ginza Namikido Co., Ltd.―a foreign-made luxury wristwatch retailer in Tokyo―was in want of differentiating itself from sales competitors subsequent to be listed on the emerging stock market in 2003. In January 2006, president & CEO Daisuke Kato received an M&A offer from one of his former colleagues at U.S. business school. The target was a Swiss auction house specializing in luxury wristwatches: Chronome SA. Being interested in the proposal to jointly promote the business in Japan and Asia and expecting synergies with his retailing business, Kato after visiting Chronome’s New York auction and the Geneva headquarters forced a board decision, which however turned out to cause confusions...
The author, born in Tokyo in 1965, got engaged in supporting M&As and turnarounds at major audit firms subsequent to working for a major commercial bank. He led planning and administration divisions in companies listed on the emerging market, and then became a self-employed consultant in accounting and management. Licensed Certified Public Accountant in Illinois, USA / Chartered Member of the Japan Securities Analysts Association / Bachelor of laws from Sophia University in Japan / MBA from McGill University in Canada
