Nick Reilly of GM, David Carden of FedEx, Horst Kayser of Siemens, Anthony Helsham of Volvo Construction Equipment and Jerome Stoll of Renault are five men well known to Korean businessmen.

They all moved on to take on bigger posts with greater responsibilities in a market larger than Korea after successfully leading and revamping troubled Korean conglomerate units, which ultimately saw double-digit growth and market expansion under their direction.

Following their experience in Korea, Reilly was promoted to head GM’s Asia Pacific operations, Carden to lead FedEx’s South Pacific operations, Kayser was made chief strategy officer of Siemens AG in Germany, Helsham became president of Volvo Construction Equipment Group in Belgium and Stoll was made a member of the Renault Group management committee.

They were once top chieftains of Korean affiliates that were either in financial bind caused by the Asian financial crisis of 1997-1998 or in a state of low brand recognition, but were saved by these men’s leadership and management.

Reilly is considered a legend in business circles here following his efforts to pull Daewoo Motor out of a financial pit. He notably rehired thousands of workers who were laid-off by the company. The American-Korean company is now on its way to become the nation’s No. 2 automaker.

Carden managed to greatly boost FedEx Korea’s flight networks and customer services popular with the younger generation.

Under Kayser, Siemens in Seoul enhanced its partnerships with local companies for energy solutions, automotive components and industrial automation.

Helsham spearheaded the acquisition of Samsung Heavy Industries’ fallen construction equipment unit, which was hit hard by the financial crisis, and turned it around to become the highly profitable Volvo Construction Equipment Korea after just one year.

During his five years as the chief, Stoll pushed Renault Samsung to be one of the country’s top auto brands with sales reaching 119,035 units in 2005, up from 12,552 in 2000. The French automaker took over 70 percent of Samsung’s bankrupt automotive unit in 2000.

The following are comments by Nick Reilly, president of General Motors Asia Pacific; David Carden, managing director of FedEx South Pacific; and Dr. Horst Kayser, chief strategy officer of Siemens AG, in a recent written interview with The Korea Times. _ ED.

Nick Reilly: There were some major challenges bringing a bankrupt company whose sales were spiraling downwards back to a viable enterprise. The most important thing was to rebuild the confidence of consumers _ in Korea and around the world _ that it was okay to purchase our products; that they were of good quality; and that we would provide all the necessary service support. Another challenge was to rebuild the confidence of our workforce, whose morale was understandably very low. We also needed to support our supplier network and dealers, all of whom were in very weak financial positions due to the history. Yet at the same time, we needed to be investing in our future product programs.

After four years, we succeeded in rebuilding the company, expanding exports fourfold, turning losses into profits, improving the company image, improving union/management relations, bringing out new products and hiring many thousands of new employees. However, we still have many new challenges ahead to ensure a sustainable future.

To work in Korea for a period of time is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity for foreign businesspeople. There are many challenges, especially for a Westerner. Not only is Korea an Asian culture, but it has many specific Korean cultural characteristics that make it unique and different from other Asian countries. The language is, of course, a problem. But this can be minimized as an issue through excellent translators and the increasing use of English by Korean businesspeople, politicians, academics, the media and others. It is critical, however, for a foreigner to understand the Korean culture, the way people think and rationalize and the importance of personal relationships, if he or she expects to have influence and be successful. When you do understand and respect the Korean culture and people, you can make real progress. This is true not only in business but also in social life.

I would agree that Korean consumers are very demanding. Consumers’ demands for quality, styling, features and value have increased substantially in recent years. This is good for the (automotive) industry as it pushes us to deliver better products and services. Koreans have grown up to value their purchases and to appreciate the greater wealth they have created through hard work.

Wherever you are in the world, I believe that you must realize that if you are the foreigner, then it is up to you to understand the mentality and the culture of the people whose country you are living in. It is up to you to adapt and not wish or expect others to change for you. That is not to say you have to give up your own national character, but you have to behave in a way that is compatible with your host’s culture.

David Carden: Before I came to Korea, there were only six flights a week and three stations nationwide. With the best teamwork and customer service, we were able to expand our flight network to 25 flights per week and stations to 13. Also, the acquisition of FedEx Kinkos further expanded our network to general consumers as well as business customers. In this May, we opened the largest Korean office in Puchon.

In order to achieve these successes, I also had to go through challenges and difficulties. Seoul is quite dynamic and changeable city. Therefore, it was not easy to localize FedEx’s standardized infrastructure to Korean market status. Since the Korean consumers are very detail-oriented, it was a challenge for us to provide more localized and convenient services. Hence, we provided the first and the only Korean manifest (airway bill) in Korea to customers. We also had difficulties selecting an appropriate site to establish service stations in terms of price and location.

The Korean logistics market is pretty dynamic and changeable. Also, Korean consumers are quite demanding. Therefore, it will be a very challenging opportunity for any foreign managers to make success in the market. Economic and social environment changes very fast and consumers are all so-called early-adapted to every trend. I can say it is definitely a great experience for any foreign managers to learn how to gain customers mind in this dynamic market.

I tried to figure out Korean market circumstances and trends to provide the most optimized service to Korean customers and tried to have close partnership with Korean International Trade Association (KITA) to contribute Korean trade industry as supporting local companies for their trade business. Due to these efforts, FedEx Korea accomplished an outstanding growth. I can surely say that if you succeed in Korea, you will succeed in any market around the world as well.

I agree that Korean consumers are quite demanding in a positive way. Korean consumers are very sensitive to market trend such as fashion, IT, cultures and logistics as well. It makes companies to provide more consumers oriented services to meet this high consumer’s demand. That’s why the Korean market is the right place to experience for foreign CEOs.

People first philosophy is fundamental, and it effects on employees’ service mind and attitude, further brand image and service quality as well. Since Korean consumers would like to have more prompt responses and more customized services with cutting-edge technologies, understanding of Korean consumers’ character and investing R&D to enhance service quality are certainly needed. In addition, enjoying life in Korea is also important. I enjoyed having ‘Soju’ and ‘Jumuluck’, Korean seasoned pork and got along with my Korean neighborhoods as well.

Horst Kayser: In Korea, everything is so fast and flexible. While I was the President and CEO at Siemens Ltd. Seoul, my calendar was packed with appointments in the next few days or 2 weeks, but nearly empty for the time after that. Somewhat difficult and tiring for me at first, however I did learn to understand that this is one aspect that can make things in Korea so fast and dynamic. I had also experienced my Korean partners and contacts to be in constant communication with each other over ever-present ``ON’’ mobile phone.

Again this makes things fast, especially to find a solution fast in a difficult situation. Strong emphasis on innovative businesses including advanced medical equipment, environment-friendly energy solutions, automotive components and industrial automation and control systems is a key factor for Siemens’ sustainable growth in the Korean market. We also closely cooperated with the government, industry and universities for more intense R&D activities, which will be continued.

I see Korea in the heart of Northeast Asia as the country with a strong business and technology infrastructure and culture, world-class enterprises, a world renowned education system, with dynamic growth and people that are very committed and hard working to achieve success. I feel an atmosphere of high energy and strong human relationships not only within our organization but also with our customers.

I can surely say that Korea is the dynamic, valuable and attractive market for a businessman to work in. Also, Korea is a valuable market, and it is no wonder that Korea has achieved the economic growth in an unprecedented short period, which took over 200 years for European countries. It is quickly adapting to the global trend. The synergy between this dynamic change and talented human resources with strong will and passion for accomplishment creates infinite possibilities and potential for Korea.

Korean consumers are not demanding, but fastidious. This is mainly attributed to an increasing need for high-tech products and solutions boosted by fast-growing local industries and an increasing demand for quality living. I’d believe that we are growing with our customers, working together and helping to make sure our products meet their needs.

I can sum up my managerial philosophy in five key words _ PEOPLE, CUSTOMERS, INNOVATION, VALUE, and RESPOSIBILITY. Siemens is consistently working to strengthen our customer focus. We also consistently drive innovation. In order to achieve these objectives, we need excellent people, and we can find them in Korea where we will continue to regularly invest in training and development. This generates enterprise value and enables us to be a responsible corporate citizen.

Source: http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/biz/200611/kt2006110216373111910.htm