What its like working in

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People are very proud to work for Samil
PwC. Theres a lot of opportunity, and if you
demonstrate a willingness and ability to take on
responsibilities and are successful, then
the worlds your oyster. Henry An, Tax
partner, Samil PwC
What its like working in Korea
that ensued prompted his move to Samil PwCs
advisory practice, which is now the largest in
Asia. In reaction to Koreas economic reforms,
including new regulatory and financial reporting
programmes directly affecting the accounting
industry, Samil PwC performed a strategic review
of our business, Kyung-Tae says. The Korean firm
implemented various initiatives,
including setting up groups of central experts to
monitor the quality of service and provide
consultation to engagement teams, and appointed a
Chief Knowledge Officer to share Samil PwCs best
practices and other expertise. Koreas economy
rebounded quickly and today, Koreas robust
business environment has led many of the
countrys largest corporations, including
Samsung, Hyundai, and LG Electronics, to expand
internationally. At the same time, many prominent
foreign multinationals including
banks, technology, pharmaceutical and consumer
products companies have established sizeable
operations in Korea. This has created a
tremendous amount of new business for Samil PwC.
In order to better meet the needs of
these international clients, Samil PwC
significantly expanded its Global Mobility
secondment programme. We currently have about 80
people in the US, UK, Europe, Japan, China,
and other countries, Kyung-Tae reports. Another
interesting statistic, Samil PwC has over 500
professionals that possess US CPA licenses. Dhal
Choi, a senior manager in the assurance
practice, participated in the Global Mobility
programme from 2004 to 2006, when she was a
secondee in the US firms office in San Jose,
California. I worked with various TICE
clients, says Dhal, who joined the Korean firm
in 1997. Since returning to Seoul with her
international experience, she works primarily
with Korean companies that are listed in
the US. Dhal represents another trend at Samil
PwC the growing role of women. When she started
working at the Korean firm, we didnt have many
female recruits, says Dhal, referring to the
relatively low number of women interested in
pursuing a career as a CPA. Now the number of
our female CPAs has grown dramatically. Indeed,
Kyung-Tae estimates that females
represent approximately 25 percent of all staff.
Last year, two females were made partners,
representing about 10 percent of newly admitted
partners. This reflects Koreas evolving
attitudes
Koreans have a reputation for working hard. I
dont believe any of the professionals at Samil
PwC would dispute that, says Kyung-Tae Ahn, who
serves as the Chairman of Samil PwC, which is
the largest professional service firm in
Korea. The globalisation of the Korean economy
has increased the demand for various types of
professional services. There is certainly plenty
of work to go around. At the same time, I think
our professionals tend to work hard simply
because they are extremely motivated and take so
much pride in their work. Thats what happens
when you recruit the best people! Nevertheless,
it would be wrong to assume that PwC Samil is all
work and no play. The leadership at Samil
PwC strongly believes in work/life balance and is
constantly striving to improve the working
environment for its nearly 3,000 professionals.
We realise the importance of work/life balance,
says Hong-Kee Kim, an advisory partner and
Samil PwCs Human Capital (HC) leader, and have
introduced several new systems and
programmes. For instance, last year the Korean
firm introduced its Bon Voyage programme, which
rewards eligible managers with a month-long,
company-sponsored trip to Europe,
America, Australia, or New Zealand. Managers can
also earn four weeks in Vancouver, Canada, to
improve their English language skills. In
addition, the firm also supports various sports
and hobby clubs, which include mountain
hiking/ climbing, basketball, photography, and
music. Hong-Kee has enjoyed a long and varied
career at the Korean firm, which has enabled him
to witness first-hand, the vast number of changes
in the nations economy and Samil PwCs role in
it. He joined the assurance practice of Samil PwC
in 1984, where he primarily focused on serving
financial services clients. After completing
three years of compulsory military duty, he spent
two years in the US firms New York office.
Living and working in New York was a
wonderful experience, reminisces Hong-Kee. I
have so many priceless memories of the time I
spent there. In addition to taking in Broadway
musicals and other cultural highlights, Hong-Kee
notes that his daughter was born in New
York. Hong-Kee recalls how Korea rebounded from
the financial crisis that devastated many Asian
economies from 1997 through 1999, prompting its
democratic government to make sweeping changes to
the nations financial and corporate infrastructur
e. The flurry of mergers and acquisitions
activity
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towards working women in recent years, says Dhal,
adding that female CEOs and CFOs are still rare.
My generation wouldnt mind having a woman
boss, she says, but because we dont have many
as role models, maybe we will be the pioneers in
womens leadership. Samil PwC, like the rest of
the global organisation, recognises the disparity
in gender diversity and is taking steps to remedy
the situation. We support our female professional
s by providing them with a leave-of-absence policy
and part-time work plan, says Kyung-Tae,
addressing issues for women raising families. In
addition, we are building a female partner
pipeline by focusing on the development of
talented female managers. In fact, one of
our female managers will be participating in the
Genesis Park programme this year. Mirah Kang,
who came to Samil PwC from Arthur Andersen six
years ago, enjoys working with Samil PwC people.
Our people are passionate about their work. We
are able to get through demanding situations by
working as a team, she says. As a working
mother, balancing work and family can be a
challenge. Mirah is still able to find time for
herself, too. I go take an aerobics class every
Tuesday and Thursday night. It really energises
my body and refreshes my mind. While Samil PwCs
Global Mobility programme encourages men and
women to seek overseas secondments, the
Korean firm itself has become an attractive
posting for foreigners. Iwan Griffiths, an
assurance partner at PwC UK, arrived in Seoul
from London nearly 18 months ago to begin a two
year secondment in the banking sector. I came
because there was a need to help some of our
multinational clients that have bought Korean
bankssuch as Citibank and Standard
Charteredconnect with the PwC global
network, says Iwan. I supply the multinationals
with local advisory work and make sure Korea is
connected with global account teams. Iwan has a
bit of an advantage over other expatriates
in assimilating to the local culture and language
as he is married to a Korean woman. In public,
theres not much English spoken here, he says,
so Ive been taking Korean lessons. At work,
there are many fluent English speakers. Hes
learned cultural rules, too, such as how to pour
drinks for others, bowing, respecting age, and
handing someone a business card with your right
hand. Koreans are very forgiving and
understanding of foreigners, Iwan says. If
you spend time learning about Korean culture,
your life here is more rewardingbut you dont
need to. Conditioned by now to sometimes long
days at the office, Iwan admires the work ethic
at Samil PwC. Koreans work hard and are very
motivated to get the job done, he says. I like
that theyre willing to go the extra step and not
complain. Also, Korea as a whole is advancing and
progressing, so its an exciting environment.
Its so exciting, Iwan reveals that hes likely
to extend his secondment until I stop
being useful, he says with a chuckle. Iwan may
or may not eventually follow the example of Henry
An. A Korean-American, born and raised in
California, Henry was seconded from the US firms
National Tax Office
in Washington, DC to Samil PwC from 1996 to 1998.
I originally came to set up the transfer-pricing
practice for the Korean firm, he says. I
decided to return to Seoul three years ago
because transfer-pricing has become such a
significant tax issue for Korean and foreign
multinational companies doing business here. So
it seems that Im here for the long haul. Its
interesting to note that Samil PwC was recently
recognised by International Tax Review as
the leading transfer pricing firm in
Korea. Henrys decision to remain in Seoul
indefinitely reflects the prominent position that
Samil PwC holds in the Korean business community.
When you tell people in Korea that you work at
Samil PwC, it gives you immediate
credibility, he says. Its a function of how
respected and dominant the Korean firm is, nearly
twice the size of our nearest competitor. Henry
has also been drawn to Samil PwCs
entrepreneurial culture that encourages
professionals to take on responsibility, he
explains. While we are a Korean firm, the
leadership is visionary. One aspect is very local
and appreciates Korean culture, but were very
willing to adopt global best practices. And
despite the Korean firms size, there a unique
bonding and camaraderie here, Henry adds. We
work long days, thats for certain, but theres a
lot of interaction in the office and outside of
work. People are very proud to work for Samil
PwC, Henry concludes. Theres a lot of
opportunity, and if you demonstrate a willingness
and ability to take on responsibilities and are
successful, then the worlds your oyster.
Koreans work hard and are very motivated to
get the job done. I like that theyre willing to
go the extra step and not complain. Iwan
Griffiths, UK Assurance partner, with Samil PwC
for a two-year secondment