Choco Up appoints 3 key leaders to support APAC expansion

The new leadership lineup includes Bart Joanilho appointed as Country Head, Australia, Kitti Chiraseivinupraphand promoted to Chief Risk Officer, and Koichi Saito named Head of Corporate Strategy. 

Joanilho as the Country Head for Australia will sharpen Choco Up’s focus on one of its fastest-growing markets. He has led the company’s Australian operations since its market entry in 2023, bringing over 15 years of entrepreneurial experience across property, F&B, e-commerce and technology partnerships. 

Joanilho played a key role in establishing Choco Up’s presence in Australia through localisation strategies, ecosystem partnerships and innovative go-to-market execution. In his expanded role, he will continue to deepen partnerships, strengthen operating capabilities and drive market growth while aligning with the company’s regional priorities. 

To support growing transaction volumes and multi-market expansion, Chiraseivinupraphand will lead as Chief Risk Officer.

Joining Choco Up in 2021 as Head of Risk, he brings over two decades of corporate banking risk management experience across Asia, including senior roles at Bangkok Bank, and holds an MBA from Boston College. 

He has been instrumental in developing the platform's AI-powered credit assessment framework, enabling rapid approvals while maintaining rigorous controls. As CRO, he will further strengthen risk governance and technology to ensure resilience, consistency and disciplined growth across markets.

Saito, as the Head of Corporate Strategy, brings over two decades of experience across corporate planning, M&A, venture building and capital markets in Asia-Pacific. 

As Founder and General Partner of KK Fund, Saito has worked closely with high-growth companies on cross-border expansion and scaling operations. His earlier career spans ORIX Group, George Soros’ IHG, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities and IMJ Investment Partners. He has led investments in more than 30 companies and advised extensively on regional growth strategies. 

In his role, Saito will shape Choco Up’s long-term strategy, build strategic alliances and steer the company’s next phase of regional expansion. 

Welcoming the leaders to the team, Percy Hung, Founder and CEO of Choco Up, said, “Bart, Kitti and Koichi each bring experience that is critical to how we grow today. As we expand across markets, aligning strong local execution with disciplined risk management and forward-looking strategy becomes increasingly important. This leadership structure gives us the confidence to support SMEs more effectively as we move closer to becoming the go-to financing partner for APAC’s SMEs and e-commerce merchants.”