Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul) invited Je Hyun Joo, CEO of Invision Partners, as the speaker for its 655th Thursday Special Lecture, held on Thursday, 13 November in the Academic Conference Hall. Invisioning Partners is a leading domestic impact investment firm that invests in startups discovering new market opportunities based on critical environmental and social issues of our time, led by CEO Je Hyun Joo. Under the theme 『How to Create Your Own Compass』, CEO Je delivered a lecture on the standards and attitudes needed for each individual to find their own direction in an era where uncertainty has become the norm.

Ms Je shared her experience of working for over a decade as a management and investment specialist at global firms including McKinsey, Credit Suisse, and Carlyle, before returning to impact investing after various forms of independent career experimentation. She shared insights gained during her career transition with students, stating, “The faster the pace of change, the more crucial it is to establish your own centre of gravity, rather than relying on others' standards.”

Subsequently, CEO Je explained cases where he had invested in companies tackling structural societal issues such as climate and energy, universal healthcare, and labour market changes, emphasising that “the greatest problems of our era ultimately become the largest markets.” He noted that economic value and social value are inseparable, stating that those who can read the currents of change and understand social dynamics can create new opportunities.

Concluding his talk, Mr Je advised, “Even if you appear to be wandering on the surface, if you maintain your direction with your own compass, you will eventually arrive at a point. Whether that destination is better or worse than where you originally aimed for is something you can only know upon reaching it. In an era where the standard answers of the past no longer exist, building your own narrative is crucial.” He also encouraged the audience, expressing his hope that many young people would sequentially acquire the virtues of ‘excellence’ – a source of optimism even in difficult moments; ‘purposefulness’ – recognising why one is doing this work; and ‘boldness’ – the freedom to fully exert one's capabilities because one agrees with that purpose.

Kookmin University's Thursday Special Lecture, the nation's first and longest-running weekly regular lecture series featuring external speakers, has hosted approximately 650 speakers from politics, society, science, and culture over the past 30 years. These include former President Roh Moo Hyun, Cardinal Kim Sou Hwan, writer Ryu Si Min, film director Park Chan Wook, National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye Kyun, and former US Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert.