Peter Sungho Kim

Peter Sungho Kim is a business leadership expert who fought on the frontlines of global corporations for 33 years before beginning a new chapter as an author at age 56.

He served as CFO and CEO at world-class companies including ABB, Ericsson, Intel, Teleca, and Obigo, navigating countless moments of crisis and growth across Europe and Asia. He successfully led turnarounds at British fashion brand Gloverall and Italian luxury bag brand Coccinelle, and his writing draws from these vivid, firsthand experiences in the field.

His books are not management theory textbooks. They are records of failures and successes, frustrations and breakthroughs experienced on the ground. Through works including Companies That Break Through, Financial Statements Made Easy, I Couldn't Even Trust Myself, Gaus Electronics: Leadership Edition, Turnaround: A 100-Day Record, Business Analysis: A 120-Day Record, and Leadership Odyssey, he reveals the essence of leadership as it truly is.

Kim Sung-ho compares leadership to a fingerprint. Every leader must have their own unique leadership style, and no one should simply imitate another's approach. What he offers is not a definitive answer but a reference point. He writes hoping readers will build their own leadership framework based on his experiences and insights.

He emphasizes that a leader's three core responsibilities are "growing the company, growing people, and growing money." These three are not optional—they are essential. He believes only leaders who uphold these principles can survive long-term. His books don't contain advice on becoming a good leader, but rather on becoming "a proper leader."

Currently, he works as both an author and business coach. He created and has run eight cohorts of a leadership program called "The Leading Heart," and conducts leadership and finance training for executives at various companies.

Kim Sung-ho rejects illusions. He makes clear that developing people is beautiful work but also a strategic domain with very high failure rates. Because people possess both善 good and evil sides, placing the wrong person in leadership can deal a fatal blow to a company. That's why his writing is sometimes cold and sharp. Yet within that coldness lies a burning desire to truly save both companies and people.

Though he began his writing career at 56, his pen carries the weight of 33 years in the field. Reading his books is not simply about acquiring knowledge—it's about walking alongside one manager's journey.