“Healthy relationships are the foundation of success”…Global CEO Talk with CEO of Starkey Korea

On May 4^th, Korea University Business School (Dean=Sang Yong Kim) hosted the Global CEO Talk in Room 303 of the Hyundai Motor Hall. The speaker of the event was Mr. Sang Don Sim, the CEO of Starkey Korea, which is the Korean branch of Starkey Hearing Technologies. Starkey Hearing Technologies is the largest hearing aid company in the United States, founded in 1996. They have achieved excellent competitiveness in the hearing aid industry by introducing small ear canal hearing aids and nanotechnology. During the lecture, Mr Sim spoke about his career, Starkey Korea's achievements, advice on leadership and human relations, and also conducted a Q&A session.

To begin with, CEO Sim earned a Master's degree of Business Administration from the Graduate School of Business at Korea University. Currently, he serves as a co-representative of the supporters for the Korea Organization for the Disabled, the president of the Korea Strong Small Business Association, and the chairman of the board of the Korea Association for the Hearing-Impairment. He has been the CEO of Starkey Korea, the Korean branch of Starkey Hearing Technologies, for 27 years since March 1996, making him the longest-serving professional executive in Korea. Additionally, he has also served as the 33rd president of the MBA Alumni Association. CEO Sim is also a proud alumnus of Korea University and received the 2019 KU MBA Management Award for his company’s social responsibility activities. The activities include helping not only people with hearing impairments but also epilepsy patients and the underprivileged.

CEO Sim introduced Starkey Group's extraordinary technology. In 2020, Starkey Group succeeded in launching the world's first rechargeable in-ear artificial intelligence hearing aid, "Livio AI," which goes beyond simple hearing aid functions and is a wearable device. It is based on artificial intelligence and can assess users' cognitive abilities to determine the degree of dementia. It also includes functions such as heart rate measurement, simultaneous interpretation, and streaming.

During the lecture, CEO Sim also highligted the company’s commitment to social responsibility. For instance, Starkey has played a significant role in the construction of the "Memorial Wall of Remembrance" within the Korean War Veterans Memorial Park in Washington, D.C., and has been actively supporting the project since 2011. The initiative began when CEO Sim read a newspaper article on his way to a Starkey headquarters meeting in the United States. The article detailed Colonel Weber’s efforts to build a "Wall of Remembrance" in Washington, D.C. to honor his fallen comrades and KATUSA.

CEO Sim is a KATUSA reservist and first established the Korean KATUSA Veterans Association in 2007. He has been carrying out various contribution activities to improve the welfare of army soldiers, such as giving hearing aids to veterans both domestically and overseas. He searched for Colonel Weber and after more than a decade of effort, the construction of the “Wall of Remembrance” was successfully completed, and Sim continues to provide support and donate by selling his high-value art donations annually. He emphasized the "Medici Effect" and said, "when different elements from different fields are combined, they can emerge more energy than the sum of their individual energies." He further stated, “the synergy between corporations with culture, art, and social contribution activities can bring greater innovation."

In addition, he emphasized the importance of valuing human relationships as a key quality of a leader. CEO Sim advised, "Humans cannot live alone but can only survive by receiving countless help from others. We must strive to create and maintain good relationships." He continued, "Friends who study together tend to maintain their relationships much longer than friends meet in society. Look around at the friends you have now and keep strong friendships."

After the lecture, there was a Q&A session with the students. When a student asked, "As a successful businessman, what do you think happiness is?" He answered as follows: "I have always believed that living a life where you are recognized by others is happiness. However, one thing I have realized is that life doesn’t always get recognition only by one's abilities. Remember that you don't have to have good grades or high achievements to be recognized. Happiness comes from practicing to love your family and your friends, and from being loved and recognized by those around you while taking care of your physical and mental health."