Hi !nnovation and the whole SK Innovation community!

This is a great privilege and honor to be the first foreign global leader to share my personal view on how Hi !nnovation is helping us to become a more diverse corporation and allow multinational talents to be included more and more into our SK Innovation culture.

I had the first interaction with SK Global Chemical during the management presentations in New York City in December 2016 when I was responsible for selling the Acid Copolymers business. I was inspired to see the commitment, energy, happiness and passion of all the Koreans that participated in the meeting with a single objective: to start a great transformation to become one of the largest solution providers for the Flexible Packaging Industry through the acquisition of Primacor business from the Dow Chemical Company.

About eight months later, in early September 2017, I joined the SK GC Americas family. Since my first day working here, I have been witnessing all the efforts of our corporate office to make us feel at home, to be part of the SK family as a united team.

▲From left: President of SK GC Americas Kim Jonghyun, Jose Mendez and other staff celebrated The 1^st Day of SK GC Americas by clicking the button marking the completion of the Acid Copolymers business acquisition / ▲President of SK GC Americas Kim Jonghyun, Jose Mendez and other staff

SK GC Americas is a very diverse organization with multinational talents from many countries around the globe, including Brazil, China, Egypt, France, India, Mexico, Pakistan, South Korea, Spain, USA, Venezuela, and Vietnam. The diversity of our company also means we need a really strong teamwork. Therefore I and the members often tell ourselves to collaborate with each other with “One Heart, One Beat,” that is, if the company is compared to a human body, every staff should work together as if we share only one heart, with the same beat.

▲Operations Room in SK Primacore Europe, S.L.U #2 EAA plant in Tarragona, Spain

In early May, while we were practicing social distancing due to COVID-19, I received a communication guidelines package regarding SK Innovation’s new brand slogan ‘Hi !nnovation’ and also a notification regarding the official launching of English SKinno News. I could see the efforts that SK Innovation are making to keep us connected around the globe, even during the challenging times that we all are currently facing. So I decided to put Hi !nnovation into my email signatures, hoping that the message will be delivered to everyone that I communicate with.

Along with the launching of Hi !nnovation, English SKinno news is an effective way to connect all global members, and at the same time a perfect tool to share our initiatives toward sustainability and social values, among others. I have been enjoying watching the news and encourage our SK GC Americas members to check them frequently. I believe with many active members and a diverse audience, we will have more chances to promote the Hi !nnovation culture, and SK GC Americas will try to be a good model among many global business sites of SK Innovation.

▲SK Global Chemical President & CEO Na Kyungsoo with the staff at SK GC Americas’ 2^nd year anniversary in Houston, Texas.

The battle against COVID-19 is not over yet, and thus most of us still have to work at home. However, we are still always highly motivated to keep on delivering good results, to “Make More Money and Growth” – a common goal set by many members of SK GC Americas and SK Functional Polymer. Through this opportunity, I would like to share this motivation to all other members of the SK Innovation’s great family.

Last but not least, I would like to wrap up with the following key recommendations that has been extremely useful for myself and team leaders to become Inspirational and Successful leaders in a hierarchical multinational company:  ▲ Embrace the change; ▲ Deeply believe in the corporate and business strategy; ▲ Follow through on what you commit; ▲ Respect the other cultures; ▲ Enjoy the experience and learn as much as you can; ▲ Always be ethical; ▲ Have a positive attitude, since attitude can be contagious; ▲ Have fun, be happy and say Thank you!

Let’s continue to say Hi !nnovation and  stay connected all around the globe and promote the culture that values both Diversity and Inclusion.