Muangdee Surasak,  Yoonsung Shin, Juany Erlyna

Junior Editors, GSIS Newsletter

In May of 2025, Yonsei GSIS’s Career Development Center (CDC) successfully held two career talks in the CDC’s ongoing leadership series with many students in attendance. Mathias Horn hosted the first career talk on May 7th as the co-founder and COO of Leagues.gg and focused on delivering opportunities to foreign entrepreneurs in Korea. Jed Barron, a director at CFA Society Korea, hosted the second career talk on May 14th where he discussed his experience in investments and capital markets.

During Mr. Horn's lecture, attendees learned about Korea’s startup support programs as Mr. Horn discussed acceleration phases, visa assistance, Korean interns, free office space in Pangyo, and financial aid. He went further to advise that big companies like Samsung and Red Bull collaborate with startup companies to create successful journeys. This session provided valuable insights into Korea’s dynamic startup environment and encouraged aspiring international founders to innovate and grow within the country.

Mr. Barron has over 25 years of experience in the financial industry and has devoted nearly half of his professional career to South Korea. His experience includes research roles at Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, and Bankers Trust. Additionally, he has held investment and advisory roles on both the sell-side and buy-side at firms such as Accolade Inc., Savills Korea, and Excelsior Capital Asia.

Mr. Barron provided an introduction to the finance profession by highlighting key skills like financial analysis, research, and forecasting. In investment banking and advisory, he emphasized the importance of recommending growth strategies, raising capital, and negotiating favorable deals. He also shared advice for landing a first job, encouraging students to build their networks, gain experience (even if not directly in their desired field), and understand why they want to work in finance. He urged students to reflect on what makes them stand out among other candidates.

Finally, Mr, Barron encouraged students to think outside the box and not be afraid to share their creative ideas, emphasizing that there is no such thing as a “wrong” idea when it comes to innovation and fresh perspectives.