Kazuki Kawabe Appointed as Executive Officer & CFO to Drive Corporate Value Enhancement with a Growth Vision and Agile Financial Strategy for the Global Market

Kazuki Kawabe has been appointed as Executive Officer & Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to promote corporate value enhancement through a vision for expanding into the global market and leveraging an agile financial strategy.

With over 30 years of experience in corporate solutions and executive management within financial institutions and operating companies, Kawabe brings comprehensive expertise in corporate strategy, financial management, and M&A.

He spent approximately a decade in investment banking at Nikko Citigroup Securities and Deutsche Securities, where he supported fundraising and M&A activities for domestic and international companies, including those in the precision equipment and chemical materials sectors. He later joined the investment fund INCJ (formerly Innovation Network Corporation of Japan), where he led growth investments related to innovation in areas such as informatics, industrial machinery, and social infrastructure.

In operating companies, Kawabe has been involved in IT related projects, business development, and business restructuring initiatives, as well as driving business infrastructure improvements and strategic portfolio optimization. Most recently, as CEO of USEN Properties, he led the company from its founding, establishing its business model and guiding it through a growth phase.

Comment from CEO Naoki Watarai:
"Kawabe’s appointment as CFO marks a pivotal moment for digzyme’s growth. To unlock new possibilities in enzyme development and implement them into society, we need not only high-precision computational analysis but also a financial strategy that supports collaboration with manufacturing and a global perspective. Under Kawabe’s leadership, I look forward to creating a greater social impact."

Comment from Kazuki Kawabe:
"I am honored and excited to join digzyme at a phase where we are accelerating our mission: 'Bringing world-changing enzymes to life.' As a member of the digzyme family, I will collaborate with our talented young team to accelerate enzyme-driven innovations.”
“Leveraging my global insights gained from financial institutions and technology companies, as well as my experience in business growth, I aim to assist in shaping the most efficient manufacturing processes on a global scale through digzyme’s unique technology - turning serendipity into inevitability."