Leadership Blog

Sometimes you meet remarkable people and you know their story will stay with you. MinSung Kim is one of them. A young man who chose to speak up for what he believed was right, fueled by anger, but guided by kindness, he started a movement that made the world a little better. His story begins on a rainy night. Crocs on his feet, trying to hang a banner in protest of a major gaming company’s decision. A decision he found profoundly unfair, threatening something he held as art.

On March 10th, The Gallery Seoul had the privilege of hosting a panel with four leaders representing both the private and public sectors: Kumjoo Huh , founder of the International Women’s Forum and distinguished business leader; H.E. Gareth Weir , Deputy Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the Republic of Korea; H.E. Emilia Gatto , Ambassador of Italy to the Republic of Korea; and Jim No , former Global GM/SVP of Dr. Jart+ at The Estée Lauder Companies. This was a great occas

Professor Hannah Jun is the International Business Major Director at Ewha Womans University’s Graduate School of International Studies, where she has been teaching for nearly a decade. This could easily have been the topic of her talk when she spoke to The Gallery community on February 24th 2026. However, she was not invited to speak about sustainability and governance. She was invited to share her own journey, and how she has become “the Instagram professor.” Because Profess

On February 10th, The Gallery went to the movies to watch something special. The film was the documentary The Observer , directed by Rita Andreetti, a filmmaker and film critic who is also a valued member of The Gallery community. Like many of us, she is an expat partner, and I am proud to call her my friend. Leaving the theatre, I felt inspired. In that room I met 3 personal stories that were somehow connected and, in a strange way, connected to me as well through the screen

Reflections on leadership, diplomacy and leaving things better What does leadership look like when you know you are only passing through? Not passing through a job, but through a role that existed before you arrived and will continue long after you leave. Not building something for yourself, but strengthening something entrusted to you for a moment in time. This question left a powerful mark on me on January 27, 2026, when The Gallery Seoul welcomed H.E. Ambassador Michelle W

When The Gallery Seoul had the opportunity to host Pinky Lilani, we were thrilled. Pinky's life story and work perfectly embody our mission to empower expat spouses and partners by fostering professional development, facilitating meaningful connections, and nurturing aspirations to help them stay inspired and engaged. Her presentation, which focused on leading with core values like kindness, curiosity, courage, and meaning, resonated deeply as we navigate the pause in our pro

How to make the right ones, and why strategy should be your best friend Leadership is, at its heart, about choices. Every day, we make them - some big, some small. Some that shift an organization’s course, and others that simply keep things moving. No matter where we sit in the hierarchy, leadership is a constant act of deciding. And yet, we often shy away from one of the most powerful tools for making those decisions well: strategy. Maybe it’s the word itself. It can sound a

On November 18th 2025, The Gallery Seoul hosted an inspirational talk with Penelope Kim, who took us on a tour de force through Korean history, culture, and the invisible codes that shape corporate life today. It was the kind of talk that could easily have lasted three hours and still felt too short. While Penelope masterfully decoded Korea, this is not  an article about “how Korea works.” That expertise is hers, not mine, and I would hesitate to compress twenty years of cult

In Homer’s Odyssey, Mentor was a wise and trusted friend of Odysseus. When Odysseus left for the Trojan War, he entrusted Mentor with the care and guidance of his household—especially his son, Telemachus. Kumjoo Huh is the kind of person I would want as a personal mentor. Her credentials alone are impressive—three decades of leadership experience, “Woman Leader of the Year,” G20 Empower Alliance representative—but it is her style  that makes you want to listen. Humble, curiou

On August 27th, 2025, The Gallery Seoul kicked off a new expat season with an inspiring talk by Christina Ahn, Executive Recruiter and Partner at Korn Ferry. Her goal was to get us thinking about our next career moves and to discover the many tools available to us — even from the safety of your kitchen counter. Here’s what I learned. The expat setup: A staccato career path In most expat families - like my own - one partner holds the job that brings the family abroad, while th

How Sister Gerardine built a movement for inclusion in South Korea — one step at a time "Everybody has leadership qualities. So let people lead." — Sister Gerardine In 1975, a young Irish nun named Sister Gerardine arrived in South Korea — a country still healing from the trauma of war. She had no formal plan, no language skills, and no idea how deeply her journey would shape lives, including her own. Today, she leads the Myongdo Welfare Center in Mokpo, a foundation that sup

On April 22, 2025 Jean Hye-Sook from Yonhap News Agency gave an insightful talk on the influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the media and how global citizens and leaders can navigate the evolving news landscape.

Being an expat spouse does grow your leadership skills and gives you opportunities. You need to find a way to leverage this into opportunity

The business license to operate is a more complex size than it used to be. It is no longer enough to mind the bottomline - you have to navigate the triple bottom line. In 2004 a joint initiative of financial institutions, at the invitation of the UN, created a framework for investment that acknowledges this complexity: The ESG. This stands for Environmental, Social and Governance. The report stated: Who cares win. Today, this statement is closer to the truth than it was then

Diversity in the workplace is by now a recognised agenda. Thus, it is something most modern leaders will be conscious about.

The Gallery had the honor of listening to the life story of Professor Kim. She spoke about Korea, female leadership and social change.

Everyone has a thread of success, something that runs through the story of both their professional and personal life.

Caring for community cats creates a sense of community and teaches empathy and respect for urban ecosystems

Putting on your senior-middle-management shoes to lead up and down the governance chain in a foreign country

Being a small business entrepreneur can be an appealing way of creating your own professional path whilst traveling the world.