“Passion is based on clear goal setting”... Global CEO Talk by Sumin Kim

On March 24, the Global CEO Talk (hereinafter referred to as “lecture”) hosted by KUBS (Dean=Sang Yong Kim) was held in room 303 of Hyundai Motor Hall. Unison Capital Korea is a private equity firm specializing in buyouts of small and medium-sized enterprises and has executed a total of 15 investments since its establishment in 2012. The lecture was given by Sumin Kim, CEO of Unison Capital Korea, and its contents covered △ the Introduction of Unison Capital Korea △ Operating procedures of private equity firms △ Successful EXIT cases △ Q&A session.

CEO Sumin Kim, the speaker of the special lecture, gained field experience by working for Bain & Company and Goldman Sachs and built a solid career in the global investment banking and consulting fields by studying at the Columbia Business School. Afterward, he served as the representative of Bain & Company's private equity and mergers & acquisitions division in Korea and established a new position by founding Unison Capital Korea in 2012.

First of all, CEO Sumin Kim explained the operating procedures and roles of a private equity firm in the steps of △ Investment attraction △ Acquisition of shares △ Operation and reorganization of portfolio companies subject to acquisition △ Exit. He said, “Prior to constructing specific business and investment plans, we perform an in-depth diagnosis of the company for at least the first year.” He added, “Sometimes, we stay on-site with the portfolio company 24/7 to establish specific discussions with internal employees.”

Moving on, CEO Sumin Kim introduced one of Unison Capital Korea’s M&A cases of “Gongcha,” a milk tea brand. Unison Capital Korea acquired Gongcha Korea as well as the overseas headquarters of the Taiwanese milk tea brand in 2014, back when it was not highly recognized. Then they sold it in 2019, earning a profit of approximately 6 times greater than the initial investment capital. After acquiring 70 percent of the shares of Gongcha Korea, CEO Kim traveled between Taiwan and Korea to persuade the founders of Gongcha to establish Gongcha Japan and succeeded to expand the business into the Japanese market. Also, he succeeded to acquire the management rights of the Taiwanese headquarters of Gongcha, Royal Taiwan (RTT), after 18 months of negotiation. Introducing this M&A case of Gongcha, CEO Kim shared that “mapping out a clear blueprint based on a thorough strategy prior to investment became the basis of success.”

Next continued an explanation about the organization of Unison Capital Korea, and talent development through its internship program. The lecture concluded with a student Q&A session and career advice. Lastly, CEO Kim advised that “Passion is based on having a clear recognition of not only one’s career goals but also personal goals.”

Meanwhile, the Global CEO Talk is a lecture series for undergraduate students of KUBS, conducted in a special lecture format where invited speakers give lectures every week. However, any G-MBA or G-MIM student can audit after pre-registration. Those who wish to audit the Global CEO Talk, which takes place every Friday until June 23, please apply by email to the Global CEO Talk administrator (slim.vbc@gmail.com).