* In May 2021, Yuki Hashimoto was appointed Vice Chairman. This was published prior to her appointment as Vice Chairman.
Introduction
Yuki Hashimoto is a Managing Director and Head of Fixed Income in Japan. She is a member of the Management Committee at Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities in Japan, as well as the Global Fixed Income Operating Committee.
Yuki began her career in finance in 1992 and has since worked in Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and London. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley in 2008, she worked for Credit Suisse, where she ran foreign exchange sales in Asia, and JPMorgan. Yuki holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Sophia University in Tokyo.
Describe your current role at the firm and your responsibilities.
I run Japan Fixed Income, which consists of global rates, foreign exchange and emerging markets, credit and securitized products. We are a hub for Yen products as well as distributing global products to Japanese customers.
What does a typical day at work look like for you?
It's hard to define a typical day because it is market-dependent. My days always start with our macro morning meeting with Sales and Trading. In most cases, my days are filled with meetings — seeing our customers or meeting with my team or other divisions. When the market gets busy I am hooked to the screen. I call investors one after the other. We get many international investors visiting Tokyo; connecting Japanese and international investors is one of our key roles. My days finish with either external dinners or global conference calls. I keep Friday nights open to spend time with my husband.
How have you progressed and evolved through your time at Morgan Stanley?
I started my Morgan Stanley career in 2008 in Hong Kong, where I was hired to run FXEM sales in the region. The global financial crisis changed everything. My mission was no longer expansion, but instead rebuilding the business from scratch. I would never want to repeat it, but I learned so much about the firm and the people through the experience. I can't forget the original team who went through that painful process with me.
After spending five years in Hong Kong I was asked to run Fixed Income Sales in Japan, which has evolved into running the whole division in 2014. I returned to Japan after being away for almost 15 years, and it took me out of my comfort zone at the same time. I have only realized how valuable my global experience was after taking this role.
Having worked at several investment banks, what makes Morgan Stanley stand out?
Morgan Stanley is filled with talented people and they feel proud to work here. The sense of pride leads to integrity, and as James Gorman often says, people do the right thing, stretch for higher goals, which I think makes Morgan Stanley different.
What are some of the highlights that shaped your career in finance?
When I think back, I wasn't afraid of the change. In fact, I enjoyed new challenges. In my fifth year, I was ready to take a next step. I asked for a move to London from Japan, and it changed my career. I had to give up what I had achieved in Japan, but my years in London coincided with the Japanese banking crisis and Russian crisis, which gave me a wealth of experience and opportunities. I probably wouldn't be in my position today if I hadn't asked for this challenge in London.
What is the top piece of career advice you've received?
When I got my first managerial position nearly 15 years ago, I was told by my own global manager to remember that transparency and honesty are key to managing relationships and gaining people's trust — and it's harder than you think. But it's true. It's incredibly hard sometimes to deliver a message you know someone is not going to like, but in the long run it really pays off to be as transparent about a situation as you can be.
As a leader, what have you discovered about how to work with others at different levels?
It might be a cultural thing, but I find that junior people in Japan tend to shy away from expressing opinions to senior managers. Some of the best ideas come from the junior members of the team, so I encourage everyone to speak up, and proactively ask for direct feedback.
Do you participate in any of the employee networking groups and how has that experience affected you?
I am a member of several networking groups, including the Women's Business Alliance, and I attend networking events organized by HR. Getting different perspectives helps, and I like getting inputs from different divisions and regions, which often leads to fine-tuned strategies. You also learn more about the firm that way.
