Junsei

Junsei embarked on his GIC journey as an intern during his junior year in college. He was extended a return offer for a full-time role under the GIC Professionals Programme. Junsei joined GIC in 2020 and was assigned to the Real Estate department in the Japan Office focusing on investment and asset management.  

Outside of work, he enjoys engaging in sports such as billiard and basketball.  

Why did you decide to join GIC?

I was not familiar with real estate investments, nor the Japan markets before my internship with GIC in 2019 as I was studying in the US and had focused on finance and public equities while in school. This internship had given me the experience and in helping me make my decision to join GIC. While being a GIC intern, I had enjoyed working with the team and felt that there was an immense potential in terms of both personal and career growth for me. This was what made me accept the full-time offer! 

What does your typical workday look like?

No two days the same for me. I have to say the day varies a lot depending on the project cycle / deal flow. In general, I would say my time would split into 30-50% for asset management; executing business plan for each acquired asset and the other 50-70% of the time is for investment management, doing acquisitions.  

What do you like most about working here?

Working in GIC gives me the opportunities to work on some the best deals in the market. I enjoy watching our investments generate profits.  

How would you describe the learning & development culture at GIC?

I would say the learning & development experience at GIC’s Japan office is unique. We have the luxury to look at deals through both direct or indirect and take advantage of information asymmetry in a private market to better inform us on investment decision making. Also, we are involved in both investment and asset management roles, and it really helped me as a junior to appreciate how the investment thesis played out over time and required works behind the numbers, we assumed at acquisition phase. 

On top of that, we are a lean team of 14 members, and we work as one team. Everyone in the team is helpful and willing to share their knowledge, it was invaluable for my first year in GIC to really step up the learning curve for this position. 

What you should know before joining GIC

Set a career goal and stay motivated. Practice self-reflection as this would heighten your self-awareness and self-improvement.