"A Leader Sets Precise Goals" - Global CEO Lecture by CEO Jeong Jin-hyeok

The Global CEO lecture, hosted by KUBS (Dean=Kim Sang Yong) was held on September 14th in Room 303 of the Hyundai Motor Hall. These Global CEO lectures invite current CEOs from various fields to share valuable insights on business management, strategies, and entrepreneurial spirit. On this occasion, Mr. Jeong Jin-hyeok, the CEO of Centroid Investment Partners (hereafter referred to as “Centroid”), delivered the lecture. Jeong Jin-hyeok is an alumnus of the university,  Business Administration 04’, and he has been serving as the CEO of Centroid since 2015. Centroid is a domestic private equity fund management company, and it gained recognition by acquiring the globally renowned golf brand, TaylorMade. Jeong Jin-hyeok's lecture was centered around the theme of "Challenging Toward the Center of the Global Financial Market." 

After graduating with a degree in business administration, Jeong Jin-hyeok continued to study various investment techniques and business practices. He developed a strong interest in the investment industry and began his career at Macquarie Securities. Not long after, he and three partners raised 7 million KRW each to establish "TX Partners." Their investment in the publishing company "Wonriedu" was his first fund investment on his career path. In 2015, he founded Centroid after becoming independent, and he has steadily built his career, focusing on overseas investments. 

Jeong Jin-hyeok went on to explain Centroid's investment techniques and strategies. Centroid primarily operates as a “cross-border investor,” meaning they invest across borders. Notably, their successful investments in the golf industry, including the acquisition of TaylorMade, have expanded their footprint on a global scale. Jeong Jin-hyeok mentioned, "After going through numerous trial and error processes, Centroid has become a trusted fund management company. We started from minority investments and transitioned to the essence of investment, which is buyouts." He also explained the roles of General Partners (GPs) who bear complete responsibility for investments and Limited Partners (LPs) in the form of typical institutional investors. 

Highlighting the goal of bringing about economic circularity, Jeong Jin-hyeok introduced various successful buyout cases. The acquisition of TaylorMade by Centroid is an excellent example. They acquired TaylorMade for 200 billion KRW, and the value of TaylorMade increased approximately fivefold. Jeong, the CEO, compared Centroid's role to that of an orchestra conductor, saying, "Obtaining the right returns from the right investments is the ultimate goal, and it is also our duty to manage and supervise the work of advisors." He added that acquiring domestic companies to aim for global expansion might be challenging due to regulatory and cultural differences, and in some cases, like TaylorMade, directly acquiring global companies from the outset could be a better strategy. 

The lecture continued with an explanation of Centroid's investment philosophy. The name 'Centroid' signifies the center of mass, symbolizing their commitment to becoming the center of the global financial market. 'Investment' represents their dedication to researching and pioneering to achieve optimal investment performance, and 'Partners' reflects their ambition to maximize profits through interactions with diverse partners. CEO Jeong Jin-hyeok emphasized the importance of leaders setting precise goals to guide their team members. The Global CEO lecture concluded with a Q&A session with the students.