2020 Honorees

Yong Kim

Project Management Office Lead

“It’s up to you to fearlessly and relentlessly advocate for what you believe in. ”

Tell us about where you work and what you do there.

I am a Project Management Office Lead for Capgemini. I personally manage a variety of eCommerce accounts on the Salesforce Commerce Cloud platform, as well as support and mentor a team of project managers and their respective accounts and teams. I also contribute to our department and company leadership team by supporting process and staff growth and development.

How would you describe yourself?

I am a woman who values hard work, clear communication, and creative problem-solving. I find joy in the process of evolving and transforming a team and organization to operate more efficiently. I love planning and creating daily rhythms that make my weeks, months, and years better. In my downtime, you can find me exploring new restaurants, trying to beat personal records at the gym, or yelling at the family of skunks that have decided to take up residence in the brush behind my backyard.

What do you think has been your biggest professional success so far?

Many people can point to a single event that marks a dividing point between who someone used to be and who they are. I tend to look at success as an amalgamation of daily actions. For me, the biggest success in my career thus far has been the decision to step up and take on a leadership role, despite my previous reluctance and hesitation to become a manager.

Being able to affect change in an organization can be high-risk, but also highly rewarding when you get to see your team grow and flourish. Over the past couple of years at Capgemini, I have supported and mentored one of the largest and most successful teams of project managers, with each of us managing three to four key client accounts and teams.

Where do you find inspiration?

I find inspiration in people who are passionate about what they do and who they are, and I draw energy from self-reflection and organization. I also find inspiration when I am able to coach or support someone on my team to solve a difficult problem. We often forget the impact that one person can have. I firmly believe that each of us can take individual responsibility to elevate those around us in order to set higher standards of excellence. This is the way we can influence positive change at the grassroots level. It’s a truism that if you do nothing, nothing happens, so it’s up to you to fearlessly and relentlessly advocate for what you believe in.

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Name an eCommerce brand you admire and why.

I am very intrigued and excited about the promise of Ethereum as a platform and protocol for the future of crypto and blockchain technology, and for its integration into eCommerce. With greater adoption and federal regulation, Ethereum will be a game changer for how companies conduct business online. The entire checkout experience, transaction costs, payment processing, and fulfillment as we know it today will transform into something that is more secure, efficient, and cost effective. The fact that Ethereum has the capacity to process thousands of transactions for pennies will be a revolutionary paradigm shift.

We're curating an honoree playlist featuring all of your favorite songs! Name your top three.

Melting into You – OBESON
Till Now – Banks
Interlude (The Erised Remix) – Enter Shikari

What do you geek out over?

I have a secret obsession with the online game “Magic the Gathering.” In another life, I’d have become a professional Magic Player. I also love dragons, spicy food, and the fourth Batgirl, Cassandra Cain.

What's your guilty pleasure?

A cigar, two fingers of bourbon, and a large leather chair.