Career Biography

Hiroyuki Kinoshita serves as director of the legal department at SEGA Sammy Holdings, the holding company of a global entertainment group listed on the Prime Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The group operates diversified businesses, including digital games, console and arcade content, manufacturing gaming machines (pachislot and pachinko), resort development, gaming operations and IR projects.

He oversees the legal and governance framework of the entire group and advises senior management and the board of directors on corporate strategy, legal risk and cross-border transactions. As the legal head of a multinational corporate group at the holding company level, he leads the overall legal function, ensuring alignment between legal oversight and business execution while maintaining the robust internal control and corporate governance standards required of a listed public company. In this role, he provides timely, commercially grounded and strategically focused advice to executive leadership, positioning the legal function as an integral component of enterprise decision-making.

Prior to returning to Tokyo, he spent more than ten years engaged in legal operations in the United States, where he developed a strong international and transactional perspective. He handled high-value cross-border M&A transactions across multiple jurisdictions, strategic alliances, complex commercial arrangements, compliance matters, IP matters (including prosecution, research and litigation), IT security and data protection and regulatory negotiations. He led multiple Japan–US cross-border acquisitions and divestitures valued at tens of millions of US dollars, directing the full transaction lifecycle from structuring and due diligence through negotiation, documentation, closing and post-merger integration. His work consistently integrated both Japanese and US legal and business considerations to achieve commercially sustainable outcomes.

During his US assignment, he also served as deputy head of corporate administration, overseeing not only legal, but also finance, accounting, human resources, compliance and IT. In this executive capacity, he participated directly in operational management and strategic planning, strengthening his ability to align legal risk management with broader business growth initiatives and organisational execution.

Through these experiences, he gained a deep understanding of the US legal system, regulatory expectations, negotiation dynamics, and business culture, establishing a strategic perspective that integrates legal judgment with enterprise-level business objectives in a global context.

Mr. Kinoshita combines legal expertise with executive management experience within a Japanese listed corporation. He graduated from law schools in both Japan and the US and earned an Executive MBA from a leading US business school. With formal training in both law and business, he evaluates legal risk not only from a doctrinal standpoint, but also through strategic and financial lenses. He is particularly skilled at translating complex legal issues into clear, actionable and commercially sound guidance for executives, directors and international stakeholders.

At SEGA Sammy Holdings, he plays a central role in strengthening corporate governance, enhancing internal control systems, improving board effectiveness and disclosure practices and building a governance platform that supports sustainable growth. He also cultivates a legal organisation that combines technical excellence with business acumen under a collaborative leadership model.

Under his leadership, the legal function has evolved from a traditional risk-management role into a proactive strategic partner engaged in corporate and business decision-making. Within the governance framework required of a listed company, it contributes directly to reinforcing the group’s global competitiveness and enhancing long-term corporate value as a core driver of sustainable growth.