AJ Hughes

Surrounded by brilliant storytellers at kyu, AJ believes the finance function at any organization also has an important story to tell, anchored by an objective truth that’s sometimes obfuscated because of bottlenecks in our process, misunderstood data, or biases in our perspective.

His job is to empower the organization to search for these truths.

AJ has had the privilege to live and work as a guest in countries such as the United Kingdom, Singapore, and China, and in his current role he is often in Japan, partnering with kyu’s sponsors at Hakuhodo DY Holdings. AJ’s experiences in living and working in diverse cultures have helped develop a leadership philosophy that encourages diverse perspectives at the decision-making table.

With degrees in both Finance and Information Systems from the University of Wisconsin, AJ began his career as a web application and database developer. Throughout his career, AJ has leveraged his passion for process design and analytics to empower decision makers to drive positive impact. His work before kyu has led to the genetic improvement of dairy herds, the efficient allocation of telecom capital, and the development of innovative retail pricing strategies.

AJ believes societal progress requires civil discourse and fact-based argumentation; to this end he passionately supports the Urban Debate Leagues in New York and Minnesota for the impact they have developing these skills in our society’s future leaders.