Kyoko Altman

Kyoko Altman is a global leader with a track record of leading strategic growth and institutional transformation at the intersection of finance, technology, and geopolitics. Shaped by a bicultural Japanese–American upbringing and an early career as an international correspondent covering major geopolitical developments in more than 20 countries, she brings a global perspective and bridges markets, policy, and innovation.

She currently serves as Chair of the Board of InfluenceMap, a global think tank that leverages AI-driven analysis to assess how business and finance influence climate policy; Board Director of The Mekong Club, advising multinational companies on governance and human-rights risk in global supply chains; and Advisor to the Global Finance and Technology Forum Japan.

Previously, Kyoko served as Group Executive Officer (執行役員) and Head of Investor Relations at Rakuten Group, where she advised the board on investor relations and sustainability strategy and helped position the group as a global fintech leader. Earlier roles include Head of Sustainable Investments at HSBC Global Markets APAC, where she built one of the region’s earliest sustainable investment businesses; Head of Thought Leadership at BNY Mellon APAC; and Chief of Staff to the APAC CEO of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, leading cross-border strategic initiatives across business divisions, regulators, and institutional investors.

Prior to finance and technology, she was an international correspondent and anchor for CNN, CNBC, and TV Asahi, serving as White House, Europe, and Senior China & Asia-Pacific Correspondent.

Kyoko is an Associate of Harvard University’s US–Japan Program and the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, and a Council Leader at the U.S.–Japan Council. She attended Japanese public schools in Shikoku and earned an engineering degree in systems control theory—a mathematical foundation of modern AI—from Yale University.