SC Capital Appoints Former KKR, PAG Executive Daisuke Hiramoto as Head of Japan

Singapore-based real estate private equity firm SC Capital Partners is signaling its continued expansion in Asia’s second largest economy with the appointment of Daisuke Hiramoto as managing director and head of Japan.

Hiramoto will lead the firm’s investment team in Tokyo, where he will oversee equity and debt transactions across all property sectors as well as corporate-led deals, while also working closely with the firm’s hospitality platforms in the country, including the SC Capital-sponsored manager of TSE-listed Japan Hotel REIT as well as hospitality operator Hotel Management Japan, SC Capital said in a release on Monday.

“We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Hiramoto to the SC Capital Partners team,” said Suchad Chiaranussati, chairman and founder of SC Capital. “With his qualifications, experience, and proven track record, Mr. Hiramoto is well-positioned to lead the further expansion of our Japan platform. His extensive background in private equity real estate investment management will help us build on the existing successful platforms and strong networks we have developed in Japan.”

SC Capital has been active in the Japanese real estate market since 2010 and has acquired over 120 assets through its private equity real estate vehicles to date, according to the firm.

KKR, PAG Veteran

Hiramoto has over 20 years of experience in Japan’s finance industry, including 15 years in real estate private equity.

Prior to joining SC Capital, Hiramoto spent over four years with US private equity giant KKR in Tokyo, where he was involved in establishing KKR Japan’s real estate team and making investments in the office, hotel, and residential sectors.

Earlier, Hiramoto worked at regional private equity major PAG Investment Management’s Japan operation for eight years, where he was responsible for deal sourcing and acquisitions across traditional asset classes, data centres and non-performing loans.

Earlier in his career, the Keio University graduate worked with Merrill Lynch Japan and SMBC in Tokyo.

Japan Deal Streak

Hiramoto’s appointment follows a flurry of Japanese hospitality deals by SC Capital Partners in the past two years.

The fund manager made a splash in July 2023, when it teamed up with Goldman Sachs Asset Management and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) to acquire a portfolio of 27 Japanese resort hotels totaling 7,124 rooms from local property giant Daiwa House Industry for $900 million.

In July this year, Singapore sovereign giant GIC sold the Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk hotel to Mizuho Leasing, with industry insiders predicting that SC Capital-managed Japan Hotel REIT will soon acquire the 1,053-key property from the leasing firm.

During that same month, Japan Hotel REIT completed the acquisition of two full-service Okinawa properties and two budget hostelries in Tokyo’s Shinjuku ward for a total of JPY 56.2 billion. Those purchases followed the trust’s purchase of the 170-room Hotel JAL City Kannai Yokohama for JPY 4 billion in late 2023.

Outside of hotels, SC Capital is developing a data centre in Osaka with up to 100-megawatts of secured power through its SC Zeus Data Centers operating platform.

All in the Family

Separately, SC Capital has named Tanya Chiaranussati, daughter of the company chairman, and Harris Yang, as directors in the firm’s investments and asset management team in Singapore, where the executives will focus on acquisitions, value enhancement, and realisation activities across Asia Pacific.

Chiaranussati joins SC Capital from UK insurer Prudential’s Eastspring Investments unit, where she covered various sectors and countries as a portfolio manager for the Asia Pacific Growth Fund. Prior to Eastspring, Chiaranussati managed the Global Equities Fund at Mondrian Investment Partners in London.

Yang was a founding member of SoftBank Ventures Asia’s Southeast Asia office, where he was involved in deal origination, execution, portfolio management, and realisation, as well as having contributed to the establishment of the firm’s inaugural global artificial intelligence fund.

Earlier in his career, Yang worked in the investment banking division at Goldman Sachs in Singapore, where he was involved in mergers and acquisitions and capital markets transactions for corporate and sovereign clients across the Asia Pacific region.