ASKED why he chose the Philippines among other countries in Asia to establish his business, Hideki Tanifuji shared that he sees the great potential of this country, anchored on the richness of its citizens’ talents.
“The majority of Filipinos are good English speakers,” Tanifuji observed. “Their culture and quality of manpower are also plus-factors. I see this move to operate in the Philippines as both a golden opportunity and an exciting challenge for me to pioneer M&A. It is a rising business.”
M&A, or mergers and acquisitions, happens to be the expertise of the Japanese national. With more than 10 years of reputable corporate experience in the said field and thorough understanding of the global market, he is proud to bring his longtime passion and industry expertise to the Philippines by way of his growing team of young Filipino professionals.
Through his visionary leadership, Tanifuji established Asian Mergers and Acquisition Links (AMAL) in 2015. Since then, he has been laying the pioneering groundwork for local M&A business consultation and intermediation services.
AMAL is a boutique investment firm that aims to guide businesses and corporations in merging and acquiring companies for expansion and new industry opportunities. Its service expertise include strategy development, corporate valuation, financial consulting, pre- and post-merger evaluation as well as due diligence works, among others.
So far, the company has closed six deals—five of which are cross border—in just one year. Its top executive sees great potential for M&A in the country, and he envisions bringing a lot of foreign investors that can contribute to more growth for the economy.
At 44, Tanifuji is one of the youngest CEOs in the M&A industry. Prior to establishing AMAL, he was a former corporate officer in M&A Capital Partners, one of the leading boutique investment banks in Japan. In 2007 he put up his own M&A company in Tokyo.
“The prospects of growing the business here are very high. Back in 2016 the Philippines has been recognized as among the countries in the region whose gross domestic product growth is the highest at 6.8 percent, compared to its neighbors that are still struggling to achieve growth stability,” he said.
With matured countries like Japan looking for investments and acquisitions in developing countries such as the Philippines, which he considers the top country in the Asean region, Tanifuji is confident that M&A will go a long way forward in the years to come.
“This line of business is unique in a way that all efforts and resources of the company are focused only on providing financial advisory services; hence, clients are assured that they will receive dedicated service from the company,” AMAL’s CEO explained.
Another one of its core strengths, according to Tanifuji, is that “AMAL is an independent firm with no political attachments, has many strong connections with big Japanese companies, and has ties with big foreign companies in Australia, Singapore and the United States.”
Wholistic M&A
IN bringing companies from across the world together seamlessly, AMAL provides advisory services and assistance to clients that have M&A needs throughout the entire rigorous process.
After assessing and evaluating its clients’ individual requirements, the firm matches companies that have similar corporate goals and objectives with regard to M&A transactions.
In its corporate profile, AMAL revealed that due diligence happens at the latter stage in M&A. Most accounting firms are focused on that.
For the company, while it supports due diligence, its focus is to offer the total holistic M&A package. Functions include tapping clients, introducing them to M&A and negotiating for evaluations.
Add to the equation the Japanese’s financial business savvy as well as the Filipino brand of rigor—a core competency unique to the AMAL team.
By paving the way for seamless, unimpeded business transitions, AMAL provides clients with maximized benefits in the form of immediate returns and long-term advantages.
Still considered a young company, AMAL is continuously growing its operations. In fact, it is primed to become a top M&A player in the Philippines and a leader in Asia.
Tanifuji believes that hiring foreign-language speakers or translators will cater to opportunities brought forth by the influx of foreign investors in the Philippines.
Currently, the company has Mandarin, Arabic and Nihongo speakers, and they will soon be including Thai and Cantonese conversationalists in the team.
He disclosed his other immediate goals for AMAL, which is the establishment of a subsidiary in Bangkok by October, with a target of onboarding 100 employees in the next five years.
Envisioning the long-term growth of the business, AMAL is also aiming to be listed in the small-to medium-size enterprises board of the Philippine Stock Exchange by the second quarter of 2019. This is also the main growth strategy of Tanifuji: to accelerate growth of the company inorganically.
Aside from the publicly listed M&A firms in Japan, AMAL will be the only firm of its kind to be listed in any Asian stock exchange.
Pioneering legacy
IN an exclusive for the BusinessMirror, Tanifuji revealed his motivation: “[I would like] to create my own legacy overseas; to serve as an example for the younger generation of Japanese to follow their dreams. I enjoy exploring the many possibilities that life has to offer. I like to take chances.”
For the country where his company operates in, he has this to say: “I want to contribute to its people, to the local economy, [and provide opportunities] to young Filipino professionals.”
Tanifuji would also like to inspire young Japanese and Filipinos in the workforce. He believes that if they will have access to good education and opportunities, they can be successful.
As a testament, he has given a number of young people the chance to be part of his company, regardless of gender, religion, race and academic achievements, as long as they have the passion and motivation to learn and to be successful.
A philanthropist, Tanifuji wants to contribute to Philippine society and would like to help the less-fortunate children in the country.
When senior Japanese M&A mentors tried to convince him to open business in countries like Malaysia and Thailand, Tanifuji chose the Philippines, as he believes the country has a lot to offer—one of which is its industrious and upstart Filipino manpower complement.
Right now, Tanifuji is successfully relishing the fruits of his hard labor.
“Making money or investing alone doesn’t make me happy,” he waxed philosophical. “My main motivation is the excitement in seeing my visions begin to take shape.”
He concluded, “Coming from a poor family and having to work early in life, it wasn’t until I became 40 years old that I began to care for other people’s welfare [and] to search for a deeper sense of fulfillment. That is why I want to share special opportunities to young Filipinos [and make them] successful businessmen.”
(AMAL’s main headquarters is at Unit 8, Third Floor, Bonifacio Technology Center, 31st Street corner 2nd Avenue, Crescent Park West, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.)