To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Sungkyunkwan University SKK GSB organized a series of "Where are you now?" interviews with alumni to find out how they are doing in their careers and what life has been like since graduation.

SKK GSB Full-Time MBA Class Exchange Student in 2010: Thomas Park

Thomas Park, who was studying for an MBA at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in the United States, came to SKK GSB at Sungkyunkwan University as an exchange student in 2010. He describes his time as an exchange student at SKK GSB as the highlight of his graduate school experience and continues to maintain close relationships with the professors and peers from SKK GSB to this day.

Reflecting on his connection with SKK GSB, he said, "My life changed because I now had a support network of some of the smartest and most talented individuals I have ever met. I also benefited greatly from a world-class education, on par with the Ivy League schools I attended." Thomas emphasized, "The marketing and finance courses I took were probably the best I have ever had."

Thomas added, "SKK GSB is probably one of the closest-knit communities I have ever found; that was very important to me." He also said, "The school culture and people were so incredibly welcoming and supportive that I have always been deeply grateful."

Thomas completed his MBA and, after working at several institutions, including consulting firm McKinsey & Company and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is currently working as a Lead Partner for the Deep Tech Fund at the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), which specializes in financing small and medium-sized enterprises.

He introduced his job by saying, "I am a VC investor, which means I try to invest in companies overlooked by the market. I need to develop networks to find out who are the best potential startups and also need to understand an industry quickly."

Thomas stated, 'Venture capital requires multiple skills, including building trusting relationships with founders, attracting great investors while also not alienating others, and being a coach and supporter to founders. At SKK GSB, since I was taught that the most important part of business is the people side and less the math, I think this gave me an advantage in the venture capital industry compared to others.

He was recognized as one of Canada's Top 40 Under 40 in 2017, which acknowledges his leadership and impact in the field.

 Regarding this, Thomas said, "I have experienced so many failures that I could fill over 100 pages of my resume with them. I think the most important thing is to understand you cannot control whether you’re successful, but you can control whether you deserve it."