'Challenge yourself without identifying yourself as female'

Jeong Mee-yeon, chief operating officer at Barings in Seoul / Courtesy of Barings

By Jun Ji-hye

Jeong Mee-yeon has been building her career at global investment management firm Barings in Seoul for more than 20 years and has advanced into one of the key leadership roles as a chief operating officer.

Jeong, who joined Barings in 1997, attributed her long career in the financial industry ― a sector known for its high barriers to women's advancement into leadership positions ― to her firm's flat organizational structure that promotes employees' increased involvement in the decision-making process.

“We have always had a flat organizational structure that enables employees to voice their opinions and share their ideas freely,” she said in an interview with The Korea Times. “In addition, it has been an exciting experience working for the firm as I have had great opportunities to learn and grow by expanding my role into new areas.”

Jeong's representation in leadership positions of the financial company is notable at a time when the glass ceiling in the industry has continued to be a social issue.

She said, however, “It is important for you to challenge yourself without identifying yourself as female”

She also noted Barings have had fair female-male employee ratios and have been open to the opinions of every employee regardless of gender.

After earning a BA in history from Yonsei University in Seoul and an MBA from the University of Chicago, she started work at Barings as an equity analyst in 1997 and has taken on various roles since she moved to compliance and operations in 1999.

“As the company was relatively small when I started, I could be involved in most of the company functions,” she said. “I also took up key roles when the company was undergoing ownership changes including the transition to Barings (from Asset Korea). Through these roles, I was given great opportunities to learn about the firm and assist it in successfully running its asset management business.”

She is now making an effort to strengthen communication with young associates, trying to be open to the ideas and opinions of her team members.

“I encourage them to actively participate in team discussions. I also try to create an environment where they can focus on their tasks and maximize efficiency by improving work processes,” she said.

Female employees in Barings account for 54 percent of the total, compared to 31 percent in the entire asset management industry.

Since March 2018, Barings in Seoul has encouraged its employees to call each other by their first names in a bid to remove authoritarianism and promote a horizontal organizational structure.