Equity

Mr. Tomimura is responsible for managing Active Core Strategy since April 2013. Prior to his current responsibilities, Mr. Tomimura managed various strategies, consistently focusing on strong alpha based on his long experience in DCF-based investment. His past experiences include US and European equities, through which he obtained detailed knowledge in corporates' drastic structural changes. Mr. Tomimura joined NAM in 2006, and has been with the Nippon Life group throughout his career, including the group's investment companies in the US and the UK. Mr. Tomimura earned his bachelor of business administration degree from Kobe University.

Mr. Nagae is responsible for managing Concentrated Strategy since April 2007. As a Japanese equity specialist who is great at contrarian investing, he has served as an investment manager for funds and pensions, including major public pensions. Before joining the firm in 1999, Mr. Nagae worked at both sell side and buy side, being in charge of Japanese equities throughout his investment career. Mr. Nagae earned his bachelor of laws degree from Keio University.

Mr. Ito is responsible for managing Japanese Mid-Small Cap Equity strategy since 2017, leveraging his long experience and strength in Japanese mid-and-small cap equities. Mr. Ito joined NAM in 2007 as a sector analyst and then transferred to New York to work as a US equity analyst at Nippon Life group's investment company in 2011-2012. His wide-ranged sector coverage includes food, chemical, consumer discretionary, telecom and service. As from 2014, he covered Japanese mid-and-small caps. Years as an analyst are Mr. Ito's key strength as a portfolio manager, as the extensive experience provided him with keen insight into corporate analysis. Before joining NAM, he started his investment career in 2003 as an analyst and a fund manager of mid-small caps at Rheos Capital Works where he worked since its establishment. Mr. Ito earned his bachelor of commerce degree from Meiji University.

Mr. Kinoshita is responsible for managing the Engagement Strategy Team since 2008. He has developed his unique way of shareholder engagement, which further bloomed upon the introduction of Japan's Stewardship Code and Corporate Governance Code, as much more corporate managers became keen to talk with his team for better competitive strategies and better corporate governance. Mr. Kinoshita joined NAM in 2004 and started his career in the Japanese equity market as an analyst covering IT Hardware and Capital Goods. He took the initiative role to introduce the new CFROI model into NAM's research team. He also started a shareholder engagement with some of corporate managers of his coverage and developed his new responsibility as a portfolio manager of shareholder engagement strategy, which was brand new in the Japanese equity market at that time. He joined Nippon Life in 1992, where he served as a US and European equity analyst and fund manager until 2004, based in Tokyo and London. Mr. Kinoshita holds a B.A. in Economics from Osaka University and a M.Sc. in Financial Management from the University of London. Fluent in English.

Mr. Mikuni is responsible for managing JPX-Nikkei 400 Active strategy since its inception in 2014. As an equity investment specialist, Mr. Mikuni has extensive experience in managing domestic and global equities strategies for investment trust funds, pension funds and insurance assets. He has been with Nippon Life group throughout his career, including the group's investment companies in the US and the UK. Mr. Mikuni earned his bachelor of economics degree from Keio University.

Mr. Yabe is responsible for managing ESG Japan Select strategy since March 2016, where he displays his great acumen in corporates' growth potential, embodying the accuracy of NAM's ESG ratings. As a growth manager who is good at bottom-up research based on 200+ company meetings a year, he has also managed the Healthcare Support fund which focuses on evaluations on S (Social) out of E/S/G. He joined NAM in 2002 as a person in charge of risk management in retail sales arena, and then became a fund manager in 2004. Before joining NAM Mr. Yabe worked for a Japanese commercial bank where he was in charge of institutional sales and loan businesses, through which he increased his experience in corporate analysis. Mr. Yabe earned his bachelor of science and engineering degree from Waseda University.

Mr. Tomimura is responsible for managing Concentrated Core Strategy April 2013. Prior to his current responsibilities, Mr. Tomimura managed various strategies, consistently focusing on strong alpha based on his long experience in DCF-based investment. His past experiences include US and European equities, through which he obtained detailed knowledge in corporates' drastic structural changes. Mr. Tomimura joined NAM in 2006, and has been with the Nippon Life group throughout his career, including the group's investment companies in the US and the UK. Mr. Tomimura earned his bachelor of business administration degree from Kobe University.

Mr. Sasaki is responsible for managing Smart Factor Index strategy since 2015, fully leveraging his quantitative research ability and market acumen obtained through his long experience in R&D and fund management. The smart beta index the Strategy is benchmarking was jointly developed by MSCI and NAM in December 2015. He has also been managing Japanese Equity Quants Active Strategy since he took a role as a fund manager in 2008. Mr. Sasaki has been with Nippon Life group throughout his career. Before joining NAM in 2006, Mr. Sasaki served as a quantitative analyst at NLI Research Institute from 1994, where he was in charge of R&D activities in the areas including quantitative investment and management and accounting of corporate pension funds. He won the Securities Analysts Journal Prize for the collaborative study on stock prices of companies with under-funded pension liabilities in 1999 ("Evaluation of Companies with Under-funded Retirement Benefits Under FAS 87"). Mr. Sasaki earned his bachelor of engineering degree from Keio University.