"The need for a fearless, adventurous spirit"… Blair Abbott’s Global CEO Talk

The Global CEO Talk, hosted by the Graduate School of Business at Korea University (Dean: Sang Yong Kim), was held in Room 303 of the Hyundai Motor Building. The special lecture on this day was given by Blair Abbott, Head of Global Marketing at the Global Innovation Division of Mirae Asset Global Investments. The Global Innovation Division is responsible for expanding the global 'Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF)' network and developing and promoting new business for overseas markets.

Managing Director Blair Abbott, who established a connection with Korea through a student exchange program during his university years, began his career at Franklin Templeton's Toronto branch, an investment and finance company. Afterwards, he became interested in the global expansion of domestic investment companies beyond Asia to Europe, the United States, and even South America and returned to Korea.

First, Managing Director Blair Abbott, introduced the successful M&A (merger and acquisition) case of Global X, which was acquired by Mirae Asset Global Investments in 2018. Global X was an ETF operator that was founded in 2008 and had more than 70% market share in the global ETF market. At the time of the acquisition, Global X's assets under management were around 8 trillion won, but as of 2022, it had increased to 45 trillion won and showed an upward trend. Abbott explained, "As demand for technology such as video communication and remote healthcare has increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Global X, which has introduced many listed index funds (ETFs) related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, has seen a very high growth rate."

 Continuing, while explaining the examples of MIRAE Asset Global Investments' expansion into the Australian, Indian, and European markets, Abbott emphasized the importance of communication and management in the respective regions for a company's overseas expansion. In particular, he stated, "Developing expertise in the region plays a central role in a company's overseas expansion," and emphasized the need to maintain close cooperation with local branches.

 
 In addition, Managing Director Blair Abbott, emphasized the importance of building a brand and forming brand advocates, saying "A brand is like a company's massive portfolio. Advocacy is the ultimate goal of branding and marketing. It is important to increase customer loyalty and lead customers to advocate for the brand themselves by building trust with customers and wisely utilizing first-party data collected directly by companies." Finally, he provided advice on career paths based on his honest reflections and experiences working for a global financial company. He emphasized the importance of networking and recommended utilizing the business-oriented social networking service 'LinkedIn', as well as mentioning the importance of reading. He also advised that "it is necessary to challenge oneself fearlessly at a young age" and did not spare any advice on the need for various experiences.

 Blair Abbott, the current head of the local office, visited Korea as an exchange student during his university years. With his adventurous spirit and a willingness to take on challenges, he chose to move to a domestic financial institution that actively sought overseas expansion at the time. He then rose to become a global talent by successfully executing numerous M&A deals and launching index funds. Through his case studies, Blair Abbott emphasized the importance of having an adventurous spirit, and his Global CEO Talk encouraged students to have the mindset that they can achieve anything they set their minds to.