Meet our new CFO!

We are excited to introduce the faces behind BEXAM. We start with Kanako, who brings her financial know-how to the BEXAM team.

Passion and interest. These two key words are what drive BEXAM’s own CFO Kanako Intoh. “If it is something that I am interested in and can get passionate about, then I want in,” she says.

Kanako’s career has specialized in commodities, derivatives, and sales dealing with major corporations like J.P. Morgan, Shell, Deutsche Bank, and Engie. Her experience in the financial world is both vast and impressive.

But Kanako reveals that this was not quite the path she envisioned when she was young. In fact, it is incredibly different. Her childhood dream? “I wanted to work on a cow farm,” Kanako reveals with a laugh. Considering her corporate and metropolitan career moves, it is quite surprising. Kanako explains, “As a young girl growing up in a city, I really liked the idea of moving away from it and being surrounded by animals.”

Kanako grew up in Tokyo, Japan, and describes herself as “Pisces, O+, and Japanese.” Kanako explains how her Japanese roots inspire her everyday life with a simple saying: 丁寧に生きる (teinei ni ikiru). In English, it means ‘make the most of every day,’ and Kanako says it’s her guiding motto in her work.

In 2012, Kanako moved to Singapore, and she’s been there ever since. Her fluency in English made her transition smooth as she delved more into financial risk minimization for corporate clients in Southeast Asia.

When Kanako isn’t busy at work, she is spending time with her two children. Although her schedule fluctuates constantly, she starts each morning off with her kids before jumping into work. Her kids have influenced her altruistic efforts as well — Kanako volunteers at a home for disabled children in Singapore. “We’re there to make sure the kids are happy because we really care about the children,” she says.

You’ll probably find Kanako winding down from her busy schedule when she’s reading or sewing. Kanako especially loves sewing, specifically embroidery. She explains that it’s not just a hobby, but her hidden talent.

So why did Kanako join the BEXAM team? “Yuki, our COO, introduced me. It was a totally different industry than I was used too, but I immediately could see how much BEXAM could change the world.” And with that, Kanako will bring her financial know-how to our projects and to our team.

But the most important question: dogs or cats? For Kanako, it’s cats. 🐱