Ken Nakamura has served GMO Internet Group for over thirteen years with a proven track record in developing and executing new businesses. He has established the first U.S.-based entity for GMO Internet Group and completed multiple strategic partnership deals in different business verticals such as mobile gaming, web hosting, online advertising, domain registry, and onboarding new businesses to GMO Internet Group. Previously, he was the Chief Marketing Officer with GMO-Z.com Switzerland AG, where he oversaw bitcoin mining business strategy, sales, and partnership development.
About GMO-Z.com Trust Company
About Us
GMO-Z.com Trust Company Inc. ("GMO Trust") empowers business and individuals worldwide with our financial-grade digital assets, and connects traditional finance and blockchain technology for everyone. We issue GYEN, the world’s first regulated Japanese Yen stablecoin, and ZUSD, our trusted U.S. Dollar stablecoin.
Established in 2020, GMO Trust is a wholly-owned subsidiary of GMO Internet Group Inc., and is regulated by the New York Department of Financial Services with a Limited Purpose Trust Charter.
GMO Internet Group
Founded in 1991, the GMO Internet Group consists of over 110 group companies worldwide, covering internet infrastructure, e-commerce and payment services, online advertising and media, financial services and digital assets. GMO Internet Group Inc. is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market (TSE:9449), with 9 other publicly traded companies in the group.
Our Team
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Tomohisa Onishi was previously the Managing Director for GMO System Consulting, a GMO Internet Group subsidiary specializing in system development. With a track record in systems development for more than 20 years, Mr. Onishi has executed various designs and development of systems such as CMS for ANA and a project management platform for Toyota. He has also been involved in systems development projects related to forward transaction systems and an automated financial trading system.
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Robert Kalkstein has served as a private consultant to emerging growth companies since July 2012, providing services as a Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, or other advisory positions to management. He has provided Controller or CFO-level services to companies such as Blockchain Industries, Inc. and Conversion Labs, Inc. (formerly Immudyne, Inc.). Previously, Mr. Kalkstein held positions at Peerless System Corp, Jefferies & Co., and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He has more than ten years of experience in accounting, finance, regulatory/compliance, and operations.
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Takashi Shimahara joined Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) in 1985, and he remained with the bank for 33 years before joining GMO Internet Group in October 2018. At SMBC, Mr. Shimahara was based outside of Japan for 21 years. He worked in Singapore for six years, the United States for seven years, including a 5-year stint in New York, and London for eight years. Throughout his tenure at SMBC, Mr. Shimahara’s remit has always covered non-Japanese businesses, particularly corporate finance, structured finance, and trade finance.
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Takeshi Miyazaki is currently the Group CISO for GMO Internet group, with over a decade of experience dealing with cybersecurity threats. Mr. Miyazaki has over 20 years of experience in executive management roles for many well-known companies in Japan. Prior to joining GMO Internet in April 2018, he was a member of the board of directors and CEO of Amies Network Co., Ltd, where he oversaw information systems and security. Prior to that, he was a partner at Yusei Audit Corporation for seven years, where he oversaw auditing of information systems and information security.
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Alex Russell has been engaged in managing financial crime risks covering BSA/AML and sanctions compliance with an extensive background in financial crimes serving as a prosecutor and compliance officer. Prior to GMO Trust, Alex worked at Deutsche Bank focusing on the development and implementation of new programs in AML risk analysis and strategy and the design and launch of the AML training program for the Americas. Prior to Deutsche Bank, Alex concentrated on AML, sanctions, financial services compliance, and regulatory affairs with Protiviti, a risk and audit consulting firm.
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Kyohei Sanada was previously the Director of Research and Development Department for GMO System Consulting, a GMO Internet Group subsidiary specializing in system development. As an owner of several patents on blockchain-related inventions, he has been engaged in leading the design and development of multiple blockchain-based services, including a Bitcoin wallet for smartphones and a workflow system for distributing crypto-currency. Before joining GMO Internet Group, he was in charge of developing Web Crawler and Document Management System for a startup company that develops a full-text search engine.
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Ramy Soliman is head of Sales and Business development. He has had a 20 year career in financial markets within banking, brokerage and Fintech working for institutions like Citi, IG and Integral. Ramy has been part of the GMO group since 2019. Prior to joining GMO Trust, Ramy worked at GMO-Z.Com U.K. establishing and growing an institutional FX business.
Our Board
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Chris Spoth was the Executive Director of the Deloitte Center for Regulatory Strategy, Americas, Deloitte & Touche LLP. He has more than 35 years of bank regulatory and advisory experience and was previously Senior Deputy Director of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s (FDIC) Division of Risk Management. He has extensive knowledge of regulatory programs and oversaw the FDIC’s examinations, enforcement actions, applications, consumer protection, and anti-money laundering programs.
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Mark Lurie is an analytical leader with ten years of experience managing high-performance teams, partners, investors, and investments in dynamic and fast-paced environments. He is currently the CEO of Shipyard Software Inc., which develops the Clipper.exchange. Prior to that, he was the Founder and CEO of Codex Protocol, a blockchain-based title registry and cryptocurrency for art backed by Pantera Capital, Bessemer, and FJ Labs. Prior to that, he was the Founder and CEO of Lofty, an online marketplace for valuable collectibles, later acquired by Auction Mobility. He was formerly an investor at FJLabs and Bessemer Venture Partners.
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Rob Fleschler has 35 years of global experience in the foreign exchange, futures, and options businesses. He is currently a senior advisor to Seabury Asset Management and Chief Executive Officer of Seabury Global Markets LLC, which has completed six investments since 2016 in diverse companies operating in the Foreign Exchange, Precious Metals, and Cryptocurrency space. Prior to Seabury, Rob served as Managing Director and global head of sales for Hotspot FX Inc., an FX ECN, and has played essential roles in FX-related businesses for companies such as Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Mandarin Capital Technologies UBS Investment Bank, and JP Morgan. Rob started his career at Discount Corporation of New York Futures in London in 1987.
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Yuki Kawasaki is an attorney at law admitted in Japan in 2011 and currently the Group Executive Officer and the Head of Group Legal Department at GMO Internet Group, Inc. She supports legal matters across the entire GMO Internet Group, including its subsidiaries, with extensive knowledge in criminal litigation, due diligence investigations, and compliance. She has also been engaged in GMO Internet Group’s cryptocurrency initiatives from the beginning and has extensive knowledge of the overall cryptocurrency ecosystem.
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Beth Haddock is an experienced director, advisor & chief legal and compliance officer who is uniquely positioned to advise and execute on strategic and operational implications of laws and regulations. She is recognized as an expert in regulatory compliance as Chair of the National Social of Compliance Professionals (NSCP) Blockchain and Fintech Roundtable, the author of Triple Bottom-Line Compliance: How to Deliver Protection, Productivity and Impact; adjunct professor in Business Law and Global Compliance; host of the podcast "What's Ethical," Investment Management Committee member, and New York City Bar Association. She previously served as Chief Compliance Officer at companies such as Guggenheim and Brown Brothers Harriman.