Tokyo, Japan – October 1, 2024 – SPACE WALKER, Inc. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Akihide Manabe; hereinafter referred to as “SPACE WALKER”) announced the appointment of Masafumi Otaki to its Board of Directors as the new Chief Financial Officer.
SPACE WALKER will strengthen its management structure for further growth and acceleration of its initiatives in both international space and global sectors. The new CFO, Masafumi Otaki, brings a wealth of experience in finance, consulting, and business development, along with expertise in M&A strategies and startup investments. Masafumi is particularly strong in expanding operations and raising funds in international markets. He will be a key member in driving the next growth phase of SPACE WALKER.
From left; newly appointed CFO Masafumi Otaki, CEO Akihide Manabe, CTO Koichi Yonemoto
Newly Appointed CFO
| Masafumi Otaki
Masafumi Otaki has an extensive background in finance, consulting, and business development both domestically and internationally. He started his career at a major financial group, engaging in advisory work related to M&A and capital markets, and was involved in M&A strategies and analysis of joint ventures, supporting the overall group strategy. He then moved to a leading consulting firm, focusing on technology-related M&A strategies and new business planning, while developing partnership strategies with startups both in Japan and abroad. After joining a major insurance group, he served as an investment officer in the digital strategy department, supporting investments exceeding 1 million USD in startups and establishing joint ventures and funds both domestically and internationally. More recently, as a country manager at an overseas startup, he drove market development, fundraising, and increase of corporate value. Mr. Otaki holds a BS Degree in Architecture from the school of Science and Engineering at Waseda University, a Masters degree in the Department of Technology Management for Innovation from The University of Tokyo, and an MBA from INSEAD. |
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Comment from CFO Masafumi Otaki
I am pleased to join SPACE WALKER, alongside the Co-Founders CEO Mr. Manabe and CTO Dr. Yonemoto, as CFO of a leading company in the expanding space industry. SPACE WALKER’s winged reusable rocket business and associated composite vessels business are built on promising technologies that contribute to the sustainability of both space and Earth. Together with the team, I aim to maximize SPACE WALKER’s value. With the support of all our stakeholders, I look forward to contributing to the growth of SPACE WALKER.
Comment from Co-Founder CEO Akihide Manabe
The space industry is currently in the midst of profound transformation. Optimizing our financial strategy is essential to succeed in our ambitious R&D initiatives and business models, as we rise to the pressing challenge of establishing a competitive next-generation space transportation system. Mr. Otaki’s extensive experience and exceptional leadership is vital as we advance to the next phase of growth. I am confident that we will achieve further progress toward realizing our vision and look forward to his contribution to our company.
【About SPACE WALKER】
Company name : SPACE WALKER, Inc.
Head Office : 3-16-12 Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 3rd Floor Daiichi Yokoyama Building
Representative : CEO Akihide MANABE
Establishment : December 2017
SPACE WALKER is a university startup conducting research and development of winged reusable suborbital and orbital spaceplanes. The company also develops key components and other related businesses such as next-generation composite tanks―applying space technology to accelerate industry decarbonization on Earth. SPACE WALKER envisions sustainable space transportation for all, as familiar as commercial air travel today.
For more information, please visit https://space-walker.co.jp/en
For inquiries contact:
Corporate Planning Office / Public Relations
pr@space-walker.co.jp