QWhat do you love about your job?
I love that my job as an EIA/ESIA manager is very unique in Korea. As the concept of ESIA that meets the standards of the IFC PS is relatively new to projects that are implemented in Korea, there are not many Koreans with relevant knowledge and skills. I myself lack expertise in some related fields, but I work alongside many specialists in the UK and Australia who guide and assist me, so I am gaining knowledge and experience every day. I am happy to be one of the first penguins to jump into this new race in Korea.
Quick Q&A
Where is your favourite place in Seoul?
Euljiro – happily the place where our office is located. There are many trendy restaurants and bars that use renovated spaces which were originally old factories or shops.
Favourite holiday destination?
Jeju Island – quite different but still seen as Korea’s Hawaii
How long have you lived in Korea?
I've lived in Korea for about 20 years excluding the time I spent studying and working in Canada, Afghanistan, Japan, UK, and Myanmar. So far, Korea is my favourite place to live.
How do you spend your spare time?
- Discovering new hidden bars, cafes and restaurants
- Practicing golf
QWhat do you enjoy most about the projects you work on?
I enjoy empowering local professionals to understand more about international best practice for environmental and social impact assessments, and the relevant mitigation measures. As the offshore wind power sector is relatively a new field in Korea, as for many other countries, there are gaps in the existing regulations to comprehensively measure, minimize and avoid the project impacts. Applying international best practice as advised by RPS subject matter experts, not only the negative environmental and social impact can be minimized but also the capacity of the local experts will increase to manage future projects more sustainably.
QWhat makes you proud to live and work in Korea?
Korea enjoys an extremely convenient public transportation system, low crime - you can leave your laptop or iPhone on the table at a café and come back after few hours and it will still be there!
Korean dishes are delicious and addictive and are even nicer when paired with wine or Korean traditional drinks. Restaurants and bars are open until morning (except during COVID periods). And I have really friendly and kind neighbours. What's not to like!
QIf you could go back in time to your first day on the job, what advice would you give your younger self?
Start and try before worrying about something, your colleagues can be relied upon to back you up!
QWhat advice would you give someone looking to get into your field?
Sustainability, ESG, Green/Blue Economy, Carbon Neutral, etc. These words and phrases are really only just getting the world’s attention compared to long years of environmental degradation mainly caused by human activities.
Years ago, not many people wanted to lead the change we now know is so urgent. But today these words and phrases are the foundation of many business strategies which are presenting new opportunities and will simply keep growing.
So, if you are keen on building a career in a promising and ever-expanding field, please jump in as soon as possible, we need you.
