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“Healthy relationships are the foundation of success”…Global CEO Talk with CEO of Starkey Korea On May 4th, 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."
2023.05.16국제실
"Target the global market"... Entrepreneurship AcademySpecial lecture by Seoul Robotics CEO, Lee Han-bin On April 11th, The Entrepreneurship Academy (hereinafter referred to as the lecture) for the 2023-1 semester, hosted by the Startup Research Institute (Director= Moon Jeong-bin) of the KUBS (Dean= Kim Sang-yong), was held at The Stage on the second floor of the KUBS Main Building. The lecture was given by Lee Han-bin, CEO of Seoul Robotics, on "Going to Nasdaq to Solve the Low Birthrate Issue". Seoul Robotics is a tech startup founded in the field of 3D computer vision software that analyzes 3D sensors with machine learning under the vision of "Making Robots Intelligent". First, CEO Lee Han-bin began the lecture by saying, "I came to Korea University because we don’t have any developers from Korea University in Seoul Robotics." He then revealed the reason why Seoul Robotics entered Nasdaq, which was because they wanted to create a structure where a Korean company serves as the parent company and generates revenue from overseas to bring the revenue back to Korea. He said that many companies that can target the global market are needed for Korea to survive, saying that “While ESG is drawing attention these days, I wonder what ESG can be more important than this.” Therefore, CEO Lee Han-bin looked for a startup item that could increase revenue overseas and target the global market. He said, "What I wanted to say is that we should increase revenue overseas to overcome one of Korea's problems, the low birthrate," and added, "The mindset that 'we need to go global for the future of Korea' is still sound." CEO Lee Han-bin prepared a short lecture and a long Q&A session for students who hope to start a startup. After CEO Lee Han-bin's lecture, students asked questions about startups, employment, and other related topics, and the Q&A session is summarized and introduced below. Q. From the difficult times you shared today, do you have a memorable pain point? A. Our latest investment was finalized in September last year, but we started fundraising in January. At the time, the market was good and we received many investment promises. However, as the economy worsened, we were unable to receive any investments and had to finance the company through personal loans. Fortunately, we have now received investment and our company is in a stable situation. Another difficult moment was when a developer who we tried to scout for three months chose to work for a large corporation instead of our startup. I would like to say it was challenging to compete with big companies when attracting competent employees. Q. After taking Professor Moon Jung-bin's International Management class, it seems challenging to "work together" with team members from diverse countries. A. Seoul Robotics is located in Korea, and 60% of our employees are Korean. To address this issue, we use English as our common language, which enables us to respect different cultures and create a horizontal organizational culture. Q. I'm curious about stories of how you acquired technology ahead of others. A. Firstly, the community is essential. There are many successful startup cases where people get ahead of the trend by meeting others in various communities. Apple, for instance, is a good example of this. It's crucial to meet people in existing communities rather than studying alone. If there are no existing communities, creating one is also important. Q. What are the marketing techniques that startups can use to attract investments? A. The most crucial point is to win the game even before the meeting. Investors already know about our company before meeting us. How did we make this possible? This can be achieved through "branding." I believe Seoul Robotics did a great job with branding. It gained a lot of exposure in the media, which created a buzz among investors. Q. Please explain your ultimate goal in detail. A. Many people here don't have the desire to get married or have children later in life. The reasons are there's no one to raise children with and it is said to cost nearly one billion won to raise a child. However, Silicon Valley has a relatively high birth rate. Firstly, because of high salaries. With higher salaries, people can utilize various policies to raise children. The US has a strong babysitting culture and has daycare centers that relatively reduce the stress of childcare. I think reducing the stress due to childcare is a way to increase the birth rate.
2023.05.11국제실
Dean’s Luncheon for 2022-2 Outstanding Students Held in Success On April 28th, the KUBS (Dean= Kim Sang-yong) held a Dean's Luncheon event for outstanding students at the LG-POSCO building KUKU Hall. The event was organized to congratulate students who achieved a GPA of 4.5 second semester of the 2022 academic year and to provide an opportunity to communicate while enjoying lunch with the dean and associate dean of the KUBS. The event proceeded in the following order: △Welcoming speech by the Dean and Associate Dean of the Business School △Introduction of attendees △Awarding of certificates △Taking commemorative photos. About 35 people attended the event, including Dean Kim Sang-yong and Associate Dean Kwon Sung-woo, who enjoyed lunch together with the students. Dean Kim Sang-yong stated, "I am proud of you, who have achieved such a meaningful accomplishment as outstanding students with extraordinary will and passion for your studies," and added, "As the dean, I will spare no effort to support you in pursuing your big dreams." He also gave heartfelt advice, saying, "I hope that achieving a perfect score of 4.5 will remain a happy memory for you," and encouraged students, saying, "A 4.4 or 3.8 score does not hinder your life at all. I hope you continue to pursue your university and social life steadily with pride that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to." Associate Dean Kwon Sung-woo also delivered a speech. He said, "If you continue to obsess over achieving a 4.5 score, you may miss out on other important elements of your life," and encouraged students, saying, "I believe that in line with the educational philosophy of Korea University, you will become excellent students who grow with others, not only through your grades but also through other aspects of your life." Oh Ju-yeon (Business Administration '22), who attended the event, said, "I had a lot of difficult times last semester trying to focus on my grades, but every time I did, I dreamed of myself as an exchange student in Japan and persevered." She added, "I have applied for the Global Leader for the East Asian Century (GLEAC) interdisciplinary Major this semester, and I will continue to make steady efforts in various fields." Ryu Han-bin (Business Administration '19) expressed his gratitude, saying, "I am truly honored to be invited to such an honorable event," and added, "I will do my best for the remaining two semesters." In the second semester of the 2022 academic year, a total of 57 students achieved a perfect GPA. Ten students who achieved a perfect GPA for two consecutive semesters since the first semester of 2022, received the President's Award, while 47 students who achieved a perfect GPA only in the second semester of 2022 received the Dean’s Award.
2023.05.09국제실
“Find an appropriate environment where you can fully exercise your talents” … Global CEO Talk from CEO Sang Yong Park Global CEO Talk hosted by Korea University Business School (Dean=Sang Yong Kim) was held at Room 303, Hyundai Motor Hall last April 21st. The lecture on the day was given by Yonwoo CEO Sang Yong Park. Yonwoo is a global cosmetic packaging company that developed the first cosmetic dispenser pump in Korea. Yonwoo has the highest occupation rate in the current Korean cosmetic container market. The lecture was on the theme of △Career introduction of CEO Park, △Introduction on Yonwoo and Kolmar Korea, △Korean beauty industry trend, △ Advice on leadership. To begin with, CEO Sang Yong Park majored in microbiology in Seoul National University and completed his Master’s and Ph. D in biology at the University of Pennsylvania. After finishing his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, he began his career at the global strategy consulting firm , Boston Consulting Group (BCG). He then went through significant experience as executive in companies such as Hanwha Life and Kolmar Korea Holdings and was appointed to the CEO of Yonwoo in 2022. CEO Park introduced Kolmar Korea, Yonwoo’s holding company. Currently, Kolmar Korea has achieved robust growth not only in cosmetics but also in the pharmaceutical and health-functional food sectors. He emphasized that Kolmar Korea’s competitiveness comes from its ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) system which has its own creative power. He also explained, “Kolmar Korea invests approximately 5% of its total revenue in research and development (R&D) business” and “through organic idea-sharing with its affiliates such as bio-health company HK Inno. N and cosmetics material research company Kolmar BNH, it has established a complete product development and production process. CEO Park also introduced the beauty trends and skincare trends in Korea. First, he presented the key terms of Korean beauty trends: △Green Pulse, △Fun Tech, and △ Self Romance. Green pulse refers to the beauty industry trend that realizes sustainability. Fun Tech represents the trend of beauty products that provide consumers with a fun experience. Self Romance means the trend of consuming beauty products for one’s own satisfaction. He stated that “Sustainability is the most important factor in consumption for the recent MZ generation.”, and that “therefore, ESG is actively being implemented in the cosmetics packaging industry such as developing containers using recycled plastic materials.”. He then introduced the skincare market trends after the pandemic, explaining that ‘At home’ beauty products have become popular and demand for skin care products that allow skincare at home has increased significantly. Next, CEO Park presented key qualities that a good leader should possess such as △Listening, △Open attitude, and △HR management. He particularly emphasized the importance of communication skills, stating that “Above all, a leader should be a good listener,” and that “listening-based communication is a key skill that leads to good ideas and communities.” The session continued with a Q&A and career advice. CEO Park emphasized that “It is important to find an appropriate environment where you can fully exercise your talents when choosing a career in the future.”, and concluded the lecture. Meanwhile, the KUBS undergraduate course Global CEO Talk is conducted in a special lecture format where invited speakers give lectures every week. Any G-MBA or G-MIM student can attend the lecture after registering in advance. If you wish to attend the Global CEO Talk which takes place every Friday until June 23, please email to Global CEO Talk representative (slim.vbc@gmail.com) to register.
“Fill up your canvas of life”…Global CEO Talk with CEO of Energizer Korea Global CEO Talk hosted by Korea University Business School (Dean=Sang Yong Kim) was held at Room 303, Hyundai Motor Hall last April 13th. Global CEO Talk invites CEOs currently working in various fields every week, and they give lectures to students on topics such as business strategy or entrepreneurship. The lecture on the day was given by CEO Hwang, Hyun Seong from Energizer Korea which is the Korean branch of the world’s biggest battery company, Energizer. Energizer has the highest occupation rate in the current battery market. CEO Hwang gave lectures on the theme of △Dream △Ownership △Curiosity which are the key values for success along with business stories. “Career choices were limited back then, not like today.” CEO Hwang started his first career at CJ Cheiljedang in 1994. After working in sales and marketing and serving as a brand manager, he was offered a marketing manager position at Unilever and moved his office in 2002. In 2007, he worked as a manager for the Cass Group at AB InBev, a global alcoholic beverage company, and then moved to his current position as a director at Energizer Korea in 2008. CEO Hwang who has nurtured more than 30 brands since 1994, said “I think I was able to reach my current position by constantly building my career and receiving recognition for my abilities.” CEO Hwang introduced three values of ‘DNA that leads to success': △Dream △Ownership △Curiosity. For ‘Dream’, he said “I always had a dream of exploring overseas markets and global operations.” Therefore, he felt the importance of language, so he woke up at 5 AM to go to a private academy and then went to work for years in order to improve his English skills. He also went to a graduate school because of his ambition in marketing. CEO Hwang who built his career by setting his goal and achieving it step by step, advised “keep your dream as a constant and level up gradually”. He then explained ‘Ownership’ as “having a sense of ownership over one’s life”. Referring to his experience of changing the logistics system to solve problems while managing the tea brand at Unilever, he emphasized that “It is important to take your initiative rather than relying on others.” For ‘Curiosity’ as a driving force of development, he said, “Curiosity makes me experience things and acquire knowledge,” and added, “A great curiosity is necessary to change the world.” Finally, CEO Hwang displayed his ‘life canvas’ filled with his various experiences and asked the students, “What do you want to draw on your life canvas?” His life canvas depicted the decades he had lived with dreams, ownership, and curiosity, as well as his future goals. In other words, the lecture concluded with his advice “Don’t be afraid and fill your life with experiences and continue to develop.”
2023.05.02국제실
“Making Mistakes is the Mother of Growth and Challenge” … Global CEO Talk with CEO of Medit On April 7, KUBS(Dean=Kim, Sang Yong) hosted a Global CEO Talk at Room 303, Hyundai Motor Hall. Mr. Gyu Beum Ko, the CEO of Medit, a company that developed the 3D oral scanner, gave a special lecture. Currently, it is globally ranked no. 1 in oral scanner solutions. The special lecture included CEO Ko’s career, an introduction of Medit, and advice on careers. Firstly, CEO Ko majored in chemical engineering and began his career as an engineer at the P&G (Procter & Gamble) Cheonan manufacturing plant, which is the world’s largest household goods company. After that, he left Korea and headed for Boston to further build on his career. Since then, he expanded his knowledge on a global level by studying at Harvard Business School and doing his internship at Lehman Brothers Holdings, a financial company. Furthermore, he started his career in medical technology at J&J (Johnson & Johnson). After he left J&J, he worked for more multinational medical technology companies such as Smith & Nephew and Stryker for 20 years. In 2020, he was appointed as the CEO of Medit, and has been pursuing a new career since then. CEO Ko talked about his journey of leaving Korea and making his way through various cities/countries like Boston, Singapore, Melbourne, and Shanghai. With diverse experiences of living abroad, CEO Ko mentioned, “There were many times when I had to think about personal matters, but I was always curious about the technology that will change the world, and I wanted to continue challenging myself.” In addition, when asked about language barriers, he said, “It was helpful that I had a lot of confidence rather than proficiency in the language,” and added, “You don’t have to be perfect in terms of grammar when communicating.” Furthermore, CEO Ko introduced the expansion of the medical technology industry and the path that Medit has taken. He claimed, “Medical technology is a rewarding field because it can provide a way to save lives,” and explained, “Through Medit’s digital transformation of dental care, we reduced the process that used to take about 2 to 3 weeks to 2 to 3 minutes,” by revealing Medit’s 3D oral scanner technology performance. Currently, Medit is looking forward to a new future after it has been acquired by private equity, MBK Partners, for approximately 2.4 trillion KRW. The special lecture ended with a Q&A session and advice on career paths. CEO Ko mentioned that “University is the best place to learn from mistakes” and stressed the importance of acquiring growth and challenges from flaws. Meanwhile, KUBS invites guest speakers every week for undergraduate students through Global CEO Talk. G-MBA and G-MIM students can audit the class if they apply in advance. Global CEO Talk is held every Friday until June 23, and if any student wants to audit, please apply by sending an e-mail to the staff through slim.vbc@gmail.com.
2023.04.25국제실
