August Leadership Opens Office in Seoul
October 1, 2021 – Executive recruitment firm August Leadership has opened an office in Seoul, South Korea. With 20 years of experience, partner Lukas Beech is leading the South Korean region teaming up with associate partner Janeen Kang. “It has been encouraging to see a healthy demand from Korean and ‘western’ companies for executive search services in the Korean market,” August Leadership said. “Establishing presence in Seoul demonstrates our intention towards supporting the executive talent needs of our Korean and international clients in Asia,” said Asad Haider, founder and CEO of the New York City-based firm. “Lukas and Janeen bring positive momentum to our global strategy of being agile and responsive in bringing crafted talent solutions.”
Mr. Beech is an experienced executive search consultant in Asia and specifically in the Korean market. He has knowledge of the industrial and technology sectors, Mr. Beech has worked with leading Korean, European and North American corporations in hiring top talent for HQ-level executive positions in China, Japan and Korea.
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“We are pleased with the positive response from our clients about our presence here – especially in the automotive, renewable energy, industrial and consumer sectors,” said Mr. Beech.
Related: August Leadership Expands Footprint in Asia, Europe
Ms. Kang brings 15 years of experience in the retail industry across both North America and Asia-Pacific. Prior to joining August Leadership, she served as the head of beauty for APAC at Dufry’s Hong Kong office. There, she led a diverse regional team in successfully expanding the organization’s footprint across multiple markets in Asia. Ms. Kang has experience delivering long-term ROI in multinational corporations.
Business Hub of South Korea
Seoul is the business and financial hub of South Korea. Although it accounts for only 0.6 percent of the nation’s land area, more than half of South Korea’s bank deposits were held in the city last year, according to Forglobal, a networking website. The traditional, labor-intensive manufacturing industries have been continuously replaced by information technology, electronics and assembly-type of industries, however, food and beverage production, as well as printing and publishing remained among the core industries, said Forglobal. Major manufacturers are headquartered in the city, including Samsung, LG, Hyundai, Kia and SK.
“South Korea as a hub for innovation and technology is a strategic market for August Leadership, and we are excited to have talented partners like Lukas and Janeen,” said Michael Maeder, partner, August Leadership. “Their cross-cultural background and extensive global experience in Asia, European and North American markets is a unique combination that will support our client base and accelerate our growth in the region.”
Related: August Leadership Adds Partner
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media