Choco Up Appoints New Leaders in Strategy, Risk, and Australia Operations New roles focus on corporate planning, risk oversight, and Australia operation
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SINGAPORE – 8 January 2026 – Choco Up, a growth financing platform for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), has announced three leadership appointments as it expands its operations across the Asia-Pacific region. The appointments cover corporate strategy, risk management, and market leadership in Australia.
The changes are intended to support regional scale by strengthening strategic planning, risk governance, and local execution. Choco Up currently operates in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia, and has supported more than 1,000 SMEs in sectors including e-commerce, software-as-a-service, and technology-enabled businesses.
Under the updated structure, corporate strategy and risk governance will be coordinated centrally, while country-level leadership will continue to manage local market execution.
Corporate Strategy Appointment
Koichi Saito has been appointed Head of Corporate Strategy. He has more than 20 years of experience in corporate planning, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, and venture development in Asia-Pacific.
Mr Saito is the Founder and General Partner of KK Fund, a seed-stage venture capital firm focused on Southeast Asia. He has worked with founders on market entry, cross-border expansion, and operational scaling. His previous roles include positions at ORIX Group, IHG, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, and IMJ Investment Partners. He has led investments in more than 30 companies.
In his role at Choco Up, Mr Saito will oversee long-term strategic planning and partnerships to support regional expansion.
Risk Leadership
Kitti Chiraseivinupraphand has been promoted to Chief Risk Officer. He joined Choco Up in 2021 as Head of Risk and has more than 20 years of experience in corporate banking risk management in Asia. Prior to joining the company, he held senior roles at Bangkok Bank Co. and holds an MBA from Boston College.
Since joining, Mr Chiraseivinupraphand has overseen the development of the company's credit assessment framework, which supports automated and timely financing decisions. As Chief Risk Officer, he will continue to manage risk governance and risk technology as the company expands across markets.
Australia Market Leadership
Bart Joanilho has been appointed Country Head, Australia. He has led Choco Up's Australian operations since the company entered the market in 2023.
Mr Joanilho has more than 15 years of experience as an entrepreneur across property, food and beverage, and e-commerce sectors, as well as experience working with technology ecosystem partners. In his role, he will continue to oversee operations and partnerships in Australia, aligned with the company's regional priorities.
"Aligning strategy, risk management, and local execution is important as we expand across markets," said Percy Hung, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Choco Up. "These appointments support our ability to work with SMEs as we grow our presence in the region."
About Choco Up
Choco Up is a technology and financial services platform that provides alternative financing solutions for SMEs. The company uses data analytics and machine learning to support automated funding processes and offers non-equity financing solutions. Choco Up has offices in Singapore and Hong Kong and serves businesses across multiple Asia-Pacific markets.
