An interview with Miwa Hisao (三輪久雄), head of ミワ・アソシエイツ, which provides M&A services from its base in Hawaii. The article covers the sale and acquisition of Hawaiian companies, examples of Japanese companies entering the market, and the background to upcoming engagements.
As head of ミワ・アソシエイツ, which specializes in M&A in Hawaii, Miwa Hisao (三輪久雄; Sal Miwa) has built more than 40 years of experience in management, business partnerships and turnarounds in Japan and the United States. After studying aerospace engineering at MIT, he worked in New York to connect technology with business, held executive positions across a wide range of industries, and built a network within the Japanese-American community.
Miwa moved to Hawaii after being headhunted at the end of 2011 to lead the turnaround of a real estate company. Drawing on that experience, his management expertise and his Japan-U.S. network, he established ミワ・アソシエイツ in 2020. The company now focuses on supporting the sale and acquisition of Hawaiian companies, while also providing Japanese companies with assistance in entering the market, forming partnerships and management consulting.
The company's engagements span a wide range of sectors in Hawaii, including food service, tourism, energy and real estate, and it matches sellers with buyers through its network and other means. In addition to publicly available information on companies seeking buyers, it also approaches private companies, and says that nearly 20 M&A engagements are currently under way. The article also introduces examples of Japanese companies entering the Hawaiian market with its support.
Successful M&A requires not only coordination with financial and legal professionals but also an understanding of the reputation of the Hawaiian market and local business practices. Miwa places particular importance on building trusted relationships in Hawaii and emphasizes his role as a bridge to local business, including by providing a Japanese-language point of contact for consultations.