Nan Sato is the CEO of Starboard Strategies. She brings extensive cross-border M&A experience, having practiced international transaction law for years while advising multinational corporations on complex mergers, acquisitions, and market entry strategies across Asia, Latin America, and North America.

Cross-Border Transaction Expertise

As head of Fisher Phillips' Tokyo office and co-chair of the firm's International Practice Group, Nan has guided clients through sophisticated M&A transactions spanning multiple jurisdictions. A U.S. attorney and Registered Foreign Lawyer in Japan, she counsels both American companies expanding internationally and foreign enterprises entering U.S. markets on employment matters, operational structuring, and regulatory compliance in deal contexts. Fluent in English, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish, she navigates the cultural and legal complexities that define successful cross-border transactions.

Food Industry Leadership

Nan is also the founder and CEO of Wagyu Sommelier, where she built a direct import business connecting hundreds of small Japanese farms with U.S. distributors, restaurants, and retailers, while creating the first Wagyu certification course in partnership with Drexel University. Her hands-on experience in agricultural supply chains, international trade, and food industry operations provides unique insight into the sectors Starboard Strategies serves.

He is a senior financial markets and investment professional based in New York, with over 20 years of experience spanning capital markets, private equity, and strategic advisory. He previously served as Head of the Brazil GIO desk at JP Morgan in New York, following earlier roles at BNP Paribas and the Safra Group in Europe and Brazil. He has structured and executed several landmark transactions in both Brazil and the United States, including a USD 1.2 billion collar financing for a European public company and a USD 1.7 billion crossshareholding unwind for Vale and CSN. More recently, he played a key role as an investor and board member in the consolidation of Brazilian ISPs, culminating in the merger of Americanet and Vero to form Brazil's largest ISP. He holds an MBA in Finance from Insper in Brazil.

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He has extensive experience at a major Japanese financial institution, where he has long been engaged in cross‑border investment and financing between Japan and the United States. Building on his background in strategic consulting, he supports clients in the food and agriculture sectors across strategic planning, investment execution, and partnership development. With deep knowledge of both the Japanese and US markets, he excels at creating new business opportunities that bridge the two countries and drive sustainable growth.