Message from the Deputy President
It is my honor to be invited by President & Group CEO Masahiro Kihara to take on the role of Deputy President of Mizuho Financial Group. I will step full time into the role from October 1, which will follow seven rewarding years as President & CEO of Mizuho International, including the last several years as EMEA Head of the Corporate and Investment Bank.
My career has spanned more than 40 years and it has been a privilege over this time to have lived and worked in seven countries across all regions, putting me in the fortunate position of gaining a truly global perspective. In the five years I have lived in Japan, as well as the 30 plus years that I have worked for, and with Japanese organizations, I have developed a deep respect and appreciation for Japanese culture, values, and ways of doing business. I am now very much looking forward to bringing my experience and insights to this global role in Mizuho Financial Group, to advance our ambitions of becoming a truly global financial group, deeply rooted in the strength and heritage of Japan. It is from this strong base and leveraging our talent in all regions that I hope to extend our reach and relevance across the world.
Globalizing our business approach presents an exceptional opportunity to bring our diverse operations into a more cohesive and collaborative partnership with our clients, so that together we navigate an increasingly complex world. We believe that our path forward is clear; we must be yet more agile and responsive in creating and delivering solutions to our clients.
Mizuho's unique identity, nourished by our Japanese heritage, but equally responsive to the customs of the various countries and regions that we operate in, allows us to offer our services with precision and a long-term commitment; qualities that are ever increasingly valued by our clients and stakeholders.
Instilling a partnership-like mentality that holds the governance and operating models together is vital. I intend to work to ensure our high caliber talent, both specialist and generalist, has the global mindset to enjoy working in a cross-cultural, integrated team. This will be core to my new role as we seek to further deepen our client relationships. This requires additional effort at times, rather than working within our own regional cultures, but I strongly believe the rewards of harnessing the full strength of our globality, as one team, will always outweigh the effort.
I believe that strong leadership combined with incentivizing a global mindset will deliver true cross-regional partnering for the benefit of our clients and the communities in which we serve. This ability to partner globally at scale is not just a strength—it is the essential code to unlocking new opportunities in driving solutions for our clients and to meet our obligations towards our stakeholders.
I look forward to working alongside our leadership team to deliver the continued success of Mizuho Financial Group as we pursue our next phase of growth. Together, we will build a more global, more connected, and more client-centric Mizuho—one that honors our heritage while shaping a dynamic future.
Suneel Bakhshi