BluFin is pleased to welcome Suguru Kobayashi (Bob) as a senior advisor, further deepening our capabilities in Japan’s real estate market. With over three decades of cross-functional experience—from brokerage and asset management to facilities operations and corporate advisory—Mr. Kobayashi brings both operational precision and institutional vision to BluFin’s growing Asia-Pacific platform.

A Proven Real Estate Leader with Local Insight and Global Execution

Mr. Kobayashi’s career spans Japan’s top-tier property institutions and global investment firms, including Mitsui Fudosan and Morgan Stanley’s Real Estate Investment Group. His hands-on involvement across the entire lifecycle of real estate investments, sourcing, capital structuring, redevelopment, tenant leasing, and exit strategy, makes him a unique asset to BluFin’s advisory efforts.

At Mitsui Fudosan, he began his career managing office portfolios and later supported key initiatives for finance, branding, and energy projects. At Morgan Stanley, he was instrumental in structuring major transactions, including the acquisition of Akasaka Garden City and dormitory portfolios from Nippon Steel, deploying over USD 2 billion in capital across various property types and corporate real estate entities.

After transitioning to entrepreneurship, Mr. Kobayashi founded E-City Co. in 2007, where he advised on exits for private equity funds and executed complex off-market deals. His subsequent leadership of Nissho Air, a 40-year-old facilities firm, showcased his operational expertise. Within seven years, he achieved a 30% increase in sales and a 5x jump in profits—all while modernizing the organization with IT systems, expanding services into building management, and securing key corporate clients across rail and logistics sectors.

Enhancing BluFin’s Japan Strategy

Mr. Kobayashi joins BluFin at a time of accelerated regional interest in Japanese real estate assets, particularly in logistics, redevelopment sites, and energy-integrated properties. His current role as COO of Project O Inc. involves structuring deals over ¥2 billion, building investor pipelines, and shaping Japan-focused strategies for developers, family offices, and international partners.

His close collaborations with firms like Mitsui Fudosan continue to this day, advising on branding, joint ventures, and even renewable energy. Beyond execution, his ability to manage diverse stakeholder relationships, local contractors, government stakeholders, and overseas investors, aligns closely with BluFin’s cross-border transaction model.

With his bicultural fluency (having studied and lived in the U.S. for several years) and his unmatched network in Japan’s real estate corridors, Mr. Kobayashi will play a critical role in helping BluFin guide clients across opportunities ranging from institutional portfolio transactions to bespoke redevelopment strategies.

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