[New Year's Message] Kim Young-sung, KB Asset Management CEO, "Coexistence with Customers through Improved Returns"

KB Asset Management's First Internal Appointment as CEO Since Establishment
"Actively Responding to Change... Boldly Removing Growth Obstacles"

Kim Young-sung, the newly appointed CEO who began his term as the first internally promoted chief executive since the founding of KB Asset Management in 2024, emphasized a performance-based organizational culture to the company's employees and urged the creation of a dynamic organization unafraid of change. He also called for company-wide efforts to improve profitability, the greatest virtue of an asset management firm.

On the 2nd, in his New Year's address, CEO Kim Young-sung presented two main directions to the employees. The first concerns organizational culture, and the second relates to the company's aspirations.

Regarding organizational culture, he announced plans to thoroughly shift to a performance-centered culture. He stated that employees who work hard and achieve results will receive greater rewards. He viewed change as essential to this goal.

CEO Kim said, “Unlike in the past, asset management is now centered more on Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) rather than funds, and sales channels have shifted from branch sales to online sales.” However, he added, “What remains unchanged is that operational performance and the resulting asset size determine the ranking of asset management firms.”

He stated, “We will boldly remove obstacles that hinder KB Asset Management from becoming the number one asset management company in Korea by actively responding to new changes.” He added, “If the organization changes and the mindset of employees shifts, KB Asset Management can certainly leap to the top of the industry.”

He also expressed his determination to create an organization full of hope. CEO Kim said, “The most valuable stocks in the stock market are not those of companies currently making a lot of money, but those of companies with hope for the future.” He added, “I want to make KB Asset Management an organization where employees can have hope.”

Regarding the direction the company aims to take, he cited coexistence with customers through improved profitability as the top priority.

He emphasized, “We will devote company-wide efforts to improving profitability, the greatest virtue of an asset management firm. The most important factor for an asset management company is profitability, first and foremost.” He explained, “The main reason customers entrust their money to KB Asset Management is because they believe that, as experts, we will manage their assets well.”

To increase profitability, CEO Kim said, “We will try various methods such as changes in the management process and the management team.” He stressed, “Through performance management, we will ensure that KB Asset Management’s performance ranks among the top in the industry.”

Along with improving profitability, he expressed his commitment to developing market-leading products.

He said, “To foster ETF growth, we will develop products that maximize synergy between departments to increase market share.” He added, “We will focus on developing and selling products suitable for the expanding retirement pension market, and when developing funds, we will simultaneously launch ETFs and public funds to create synergy.”

He also indicated plans to change marketing strategies.

CEO Kim said, “In the past, branch and mass marketing were the main strategies, but now is the time for non-face-to-face personalized marketing.” He added, “It is necessary to derive strategies through data analysis and focus on ‘pinpoint marketing’ based on this.”

He further emphasized, “Corporate marketing must find new investment destinations and discover institutions, as the public funds and insurance company funds that the company previously focused on have reached their limits.” He stressed, “We need to target companies and individuals with substantial funds and discover institutions we have not yet approached to increase institutional client touchpoints.”

Regarding the alternative investment sector, which faces worsening internal and external conditions, he requested expansion of new businesses and thorough risk management related to real estate.

He said, “The alternative investment sector needs to create new business areas to overcome recent stagnation.” He added, “We will work closely with the alternative investment sector to address this, and from the perspective of customer protection, we will re-examine overseas real estate-related matters and ensure that related funds do not encounter problems.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.