(Courtesy of Hankook)

Jae-Bum Park believes in the power of people as a way to drive business forward.

Tire business executive Jae-Bum Park has found that the collective strength of people can help a company move forward.

'€œEach individual talent in a company has strengths and weaknesses but I am apt to emphasize their strengths instead of weaknesses,'€ said the vice president of the ASEAN-India marketing and sales department at Korea'€™s Hankook Tire, Ltd.

Putting emphasis on strong points that people in the company have allows Park, as a leader, to give more authority to employees, which helps the entire business process to progress, he said.

'€œI play a role as their leader or supporter, instead of critic, and so I always encourage them to solve difficulties. Therefore, I want them to improve their knowledge or talents and skills by themselves,'€ said the 49-year-old.

'€œBy understanding what employees are doing, I know their strengths and weaknesses, their characteristics, personalities, talents and level of knowledge. In this way, I know what steps I have to take to improve them,'€ he pointed out.

The executive said that people with hands-on job experience were more valued than those who had knowledge but lacked experience. Therefore, he believes it is important to provide newly recruited talent with on-the-job training.

'€œI think on-the-job training is more important than off-the-job training, like formal education. On-the-job training allows me to give direct feedback and [ask] questions, which helps them [employees] go through the whole process,'€ he explained.

With clear guidance provided by a leader, people in the company know the right things to do, especially when it comes to dealing with customers, who are the most important asset, or stakeholder, in the company'€™s work. '€œSo every time they make a decision, they have to think of the impact it has on customers,'€ he said.

Hankook Tire has gained recognition in the US, Europe, China and Korea. It now aims to strengthen its business presence in the growing economies of ASEAN and India. It started operations in Indonesia in 2010.

Jae-Bum Park joined Hankook Tire in 2009 after spending 18 years at electronics company LG, where he began at the managerial level but progressed until his final position as LG Homeshopping'€™s director of marketing and sales. In 2011, he became vice president of ASEAN-India marketing and sales at Hankook and has held the position ever since. He is responsible for controlling and managing ASEAN-India sales and marketing. Currently, he is building various marketing campaign strategies with the aim to further strengthen Hankook'€™s brand presence and increase brand visibility within markets in the region, particularly Indonesia.

The tire business is more than just handling raw rubber, as many people might think. '€œTires are a combination of high technology and science. For example, tires can ensure the safety of a driver and enable the driver to experience the difference between tires ['€¦] So, there are many aspects of tires,'€ said Park, explaining what had prompted him to join the tire firm.

'€œActually I had no experience in the tire business but I think the nature of business is similar ['€¦] sometimes up and sometimes down. When things get into a peaceful stage, it is not so difficult, but when getting into a difficult time, then efforts should be made to overcome the difficulties,'€ he said.

'€œMy previous involvement in businesses allowed me to solve a lot of different difficulties.'€

Therefore, he said, when it comes to the right people, the most essential element in the company, those with experience in handling adversity are preferable.

Prior to on-the-job training, new recruits are sent to Korea for job orientation and also to attend other training classes, according to Park.

The rising middle class and the increase in the number of affluent families with disposable income are providing the opportunity for Hankook to seize a greater market share. But, as Park acknowledged, the priority was to build a business foundation, establish new sales networks and raise brand awareness among Indonesian people.

'€œWe adopt a step-by-step business approach instead of running at full speed because Indonesian people should first know our brand. I am confident that in the next few years, we'€™ll gain a good market share,'€ he remarked.

At Hankook, he said, everyone is encouraged to follow the process and shortcuts are not allowed, irrespective of the different cultures of the countries in which Hankook operates.

The different cultures in the 15 countries of ASEAN and India that he oversees require him to adapt himself to the situation in each country. '€œIn terms of different cultures, there is no good or bad, nor right or wrong. But I have to adapt myself to the culture in order to achieve business success,'€ he noted.

Park said the working environment at the Hankook Tire office in Indonesia is the same as that found in other countries in terms of infrastructure because '€œwe refer to our global office standard.'€

'€œBut every city, like Jakarta, Bangkok or New Delhi, has its own situation. Therefore, we have to adapt ourselves to the situation,'€ he noted, mentioning the traffic congestion plaguing Jakarta as an example.

'€œPeople here seem to be more relaxed compared to Korean people ['€¦] who fully focus on their work, making them under pressure. So, I am able to be a bit relaxed here.'€

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Jae-Bum Park

Place/Date of Birth

Taegu, South Korea, Oct. 22, 1964.

Experience

Jae Bum Park has held his position as vice president of ASEAN-India marketing and sales at Hankook Tire since September 2011, two years after he first joined the company. Jae Bum began his career at Hankook Tire as vice president of the corporate strategy department, where his main responsibilities were to oversee overseas investments along with corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions. Previously, he spent 18 years at LG where he started at the managerial level, progressing through until his last position as director of marketing and sales, LG Homeshopping.

Education

He holds a bachelor'€™s degree in Business Administration from Korea University, 1987. He earned an MBA from the University of Washington in 1999.

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At Ease

Playing sports with my son

I spend my spare time with my son. Sometimes, we play basketball or baseball. Or sometimes I play music with him.

Making my son happy

Apart from traveling to several cities in ASEAN and India as part of my job, I also travel to other tourist spots in Indonesia with my family. I accompany my son to a music course and visit museums as supplementary study in addition to his formal study at school, which makes him happy. In Korea, students must study hard, with formal study aimed at examinations and score-oriented activities.

Looking around

Sometimes on weekends we go shopping or just look around. There are many shopping centers here.

Loving Indonesian food, not just fried rice

When I first came to Indonesia, I tried nasi goreng (fried rice), the only Indonesian food that I knew then. But now I like other kinds of Indonesian food too. I particularly like them because they are tasty.