Kathy Matsui
Kathy M. Matsui | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965 California, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Economist, venture capitalist |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Known for | Originating the term "womenomics", advocate for gender diversity in business and economics |
| Notable work | Womenomics concept |
Kathy M. Matsui (, born 1965) serves as a General Partner at MPower Partners, recognized as Japan's inaugural global venture capital fund with an ESG focus.
Previously, she held the roles of vice chair and chief Japan strategist at the international investment bank Goldman Sachs. Matsui, who was born in California, is credited by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe with originating the term "womenomics," a concept emphasizing the economic benefits of increasing women's workforce involvement. She is widely acknowledged as a prominent proponent of gender diversity within business and economic sectors and has delivered talks at TEDx events.
Life and career
Matsui’s parents, Japanese Christians from Nara Prefecture, relocated to the United States during the early 1960s. Born in California in 1965, her family managed a commercial flower nursery located in the Salinas Valley. Growing up alongside three siblings, she balanced working in the family enterprise with attending school and taking Japanese language classes on weekends.
After graduating from Gonzales High School in 1982, Matsui earned academic degrees in social studies from Harvard University and international affairs from Johns Hopkins University. Between 1986 and 1988, she enhanced her Japanese proficiency through a Rotary scholarship at International Christian University in Tokyo. Following the peak of Japan’s asset bubble, she joined Barclays de Zoete Wedd Securities’ Japan Strategy team in 1990. In 1994, she transitioned to Goldman Sachs Japan, achieving managing director status by 1998 and becoming the firm’s first female partner in 2000.
Her 1999 thesis introduced "womenomics," advocating for greater female labor force participation as a vital remedy to Japan’s economic stagnation—favoring this approach over reliance on immigration or increased birthrates. At that time, only 56.7% of working-age women were active in Japan’s labor market, constraining economic growth. Since then, female workforce involvement has reached unprecedented levels, surpassing those of both the US and Europe, with potential to elevate Japan’s GDP by at least 10%.
After a breast cancer diagnosis in 2001, Matsui resumed her career at Goldman Sachs post-treatment. Her womenomics research significantly influenced Prime Minister Shinzō Abe’s Abenomics policy reforms initiated in 2012. In January 2015, she was promoted to vice chair of Goldman Sachs Japan.
Matsui champions gender diversity initiatives within workplaces through advocating flexible employment contracts, tax policy reforms, adjustments to immigration regulations, and implementation of gender quotas. Bloomberg Markets recognized her in 2014 among the "50 Most Influential" for integrating womenomics into investment banking practices and Goldman Sachs’ operations.
By 2020, Matsui departed Goldman Sachs to establish MPower Partners Fund—an all-female-led venture capital firm investing in technology-driven startups addressing social challenges such as health, education, and environmental sustainability. This fund reflects her dedication to womenomics by fostering diversity at early stages of startup development and reshaping venture capital investment approaches.
Recognition
Institutional Investor honored her as Japan’s top stock market forecaster in 2000, 2001, and 2006. Additionally, the Wall Street Journal included her among "10 Women to Watch in Asia" in 2007.
Personal life
Matsui is married to Jesper Koll, and the couple has two children, both of whom were born in Japan.
Works cited