Chris Kwok
Senior Investment Advisor
Chris joined RBC Wealth Management-Dominion Securities in 2008 after successfully pioneering and building a Japanese Financial Services Group for a major Canadian Bank since 1994. He also spent time in Tokyo as a senior representative for a major Canadian bank-owned online brokerage firm.
Chris was born and raised in Kobe, Japan where he attended Marist Brothers International School. He speaks English & Japanese fluently and some Chinese (Cantonese). Chris was active in sports and played baseball, soccer and volleyball. Upon graduation from high school, he moved to Vancouver to earn his Economics degree at University of British Columbia. His business draws on Chris' unique multinational background and financial experience.
Chris has specialized in the Japanese financial market for over 30 years. His commitment has enhanced the life experience of thousands of Japanese who have moved to Canada and also those who later returned to Japan. Chris maintains strong ties with family, friends and business associates in Japan.
While living in Kobe, Chris was a big fan of Nippon Professional Baseball. Now, he enjoys Major League Baseball, especially the plays of Shohei Ohtani. His hobby is travelling and also collecting autographed baseball memorabilia. His favorite moments are relaxing in beach resorts and going to MLB Spring training sites in Arizona & Florida. Chris also enjoys visiting Japan and his hometown Kobe.
Shoko Sanchez
Senior Associate Advisor and Financial Planner
Born and raised in Tokyo, Shoko graduated from Tokyo Woman’s Christian University with a degree in Ethological Psychology. In spite of her busy education schedule and spending many hours in the laboratory, a lot of her free time was spent on writing. Ever since high school, she was a free-lance journalist for a variety of fashion, music, sub-culture and commercial modeling magazines. She was also an assistant instructor at a special private incentive school for gifted children. Many of her students were able to enter prestigious private schools in Japan.
After graduation from university, Shoko worked as a full time editor for an international fashion magazine. It was during one of her holidays in Canada that she decided to move to Vancouver. In 1993, Shoko began her financial career as a banker at a major Canadian bank and later received her Professional Financial Planner designation. She earned her reputable status in the Canadian Japanese community through dedication and enthusiasm to her work.
Shoko believes the fundamental elements of a good client relationship are to listen and understand their investment needs. She has worked with Chris Kwok since 1994 and together as a team, they help clients maintain peace of mind by making sure that their hard earned money is being looked after.
Outside of the office, Shoko enjoys wine-tasting, dining out and listening to music. She resides in the Vancouver Kitsilano neighbourhood with her husband and their daughter.
Andy Hirai
Associate Advisor
Andy graduated from the Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration (Sauder School of Business) of the University of British Columbia (UBC) with a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree. He has completed his Canadian Securities Course (CSC) and Conduct and Practices Handbook (CPH) and is fully licensed under the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC).
Prior to joining RBC Wealth Management Dominion Securities, he has worked in the financial services industry since 2008 at a major bank, advising Japanese and Canadian citizens on their savings, mortgage lending, investing, and banking. During this time, he believed in the importance of financial literacy in youth and spoke to them when he had the opportunity outside the bank. When he first graduated from university, he went to Japan and worked in Tokyo in the information technology industry as a sales engineer for 6 years and was a visiting researcher at Keio University Research Institute at SFC.
Born in Shizuoka, Japan and raised in Vancouver, Andy is fluent in Japanese and English. Attending Japanese School was one of his favorite activities growing up and often spent his summer holidays in Japan. In high school, he played the clarinet and competed in several music competitions. Now in his spare time, he enjoys playing ice hockey, curling, and running. He also likes attending NHL and MLB games.
Yui Sato
Administrative Assistant
Born and raised in Osaka, Japan, Yui graduated from Kansai Gaidai University. When she was a student she studied abroad for 3 months in Australia and became interested in working overseas. After graduating from university, she worked as a sales assistant at a firm in Japan that traded semiconductors and electronic parts internationally. Since she wanted to learn more practical English and gain working experience in other countries, she decided to move to Canada in 2011.
Yui realized how great the Japanese-style customer service is through working at restaurants and telecommunications in a multi-national country like Canada. She believes it is important for clients with their hard earned money to be able to experience this style of service in Canada, too.
On her time off, Yui enjoys Karaoke, golfing (pitch & putt), bowling, café-hopping, shopping, etc. Her favorite moment is spending very relaxed time with her lovely fluffy dog every day.
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