Eric Hoffman first moved to Korea in 1998 after meeting his Korean wife. He has lived in Seoul since then and enjoys the safety, culture, and opportunities it provides for raising a family. As Seoul has modernized, it has become more attractive for business while retaining its cultural character. Hoffman works with Aon and the Foreign Investment Advisory Council to promote Seoul internationally and help the city attract foreign investment. He highlights Seoul's educated workforce, support for business, and potential for starting and growing companies.

1. investseoul.com http://investseoul.com/eric-hoffman-aon-korea/
By investseoul 25/11/2014
Eric Hoffman, Chief Commercial Officer, AON Korea
Eric Hoffman
Chief Commercial Officer, Aon Risk Solutions, Korea
1. When and why did you first come to Korea, and how long did you stay?
I first moved to Korea in October 1998 and have lived here since then. So I recently celebrated my 16th anniversary
of living in Korea. The original reason for my move was that I was fortunate enough to meet a wonderful Korean
woman in New York City who I married and who convinced me to try living in Korea for a while. I was hesitant at first
as I did not know much about Korea, so I “hedged” my decision by having my employer, Aon, agree to guarantee a
job for me back in New York in three years’ time. However, I never took up the offer as we enjoyed living in Seoul and
had started our family here. We now have two children, a daughter who is 14 and a son who will be 12 this Friday.
We have traveled all over the world but found Seoul to be a great place to live and raise a family.
2. While you have lived in Korea for many years, it seems like you have stayed in Seoul longer than any other
city. What do you like about Seoul the most?
We have lived in Seoul for our entire 16 years in Korea. From a family perspective, Seoul has so many good
qualities. It is safe, clean and has excellent schools, arts & entertainment, cultural activities, museums, restaurants
and outdoor activities. Where else can you go waterskiing or mountain climbing in the middle of a city with a
population of over 12 million? As we have family abroad and like to travel, Seoul is also a very convenient location to
travel from. The airports are top-notch and many interesting and fun places to visit are within a few hours flying time.
We have been to many cities and towns throughout Korea but Seoul is clearly the right home for us, it has truly
become a very cosmopolitan city.

2. 3. Before you came to Seoul, you spent most of your time in the New York area, which is a globally renowned
financial city. When you first came to Korea, it may have felt that there was a gap between New York and
Seoul. In the perspective of an entrepreneur, which part of Seoul has been changed the most?
Before moving to Seoul, I lived in or near New York City my entire life. I loved New York and still do but living in Seoul
has given me a broader perspective where I can more readily see New York’s shortcomings and Seoul’s advantages.
When I arrived in Seoul in 1998, it was very different back then and the “gap” with New York seemed quite wide. Over
the years though, Seoul has consistently changed for the better yet still retained its distinct cultural qualities so I now
see both places as two distinct cities with Seoul being better in many ways. This positive trend continues and is
evidenced all around us by the infrastructure improvements, better flowing traffic, impressive architecture, variety of
entertainment options and the overall cleanliness of the City. My work with the Foreign Investment Advisory Council
(FIAC) also gives me insight into how much Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) is doing to improve the City for its
citizens and businesses as well as to enhance Seoul’s image internationally. From an entrepreneur / investment
perspective, Seoul’s location, economic concentration, vibrancy, ability to change and extensive support for business,
combined with its educated, creative and wired population makes it a perfect home to start and grow a business.
4. Aon is the leading international risk management advisory
and insurance solutions provider in the world with over 500
offices in 120 countries. What is the ratio of Koreans to
foreign employees in the Korea office? Does conflict ever
occur due to the multicultural nature of the company? Or
are there specific advantages as a global company?
As you mentioned, Aon is a global services firm with 66,000
professionals around the world. We greatly value the diversity of
our employees and respect their local customs, perspectives and
creativity. Our Seoul office was started in 1985 and, today, all
three of Aon’s global businesses are operating here with approximately 150 professionals. Each of Aon’s three
businesses has a CEO who is Korean and I am the only senior foreign employee here. My role as Chief Commercial
Officer is to support the CEO’s and my colleagues in growing Aon’s business and I do that most effectively by
identifying Aon risk management and insurance solutions abroad and adapting them for success in Korea. Our
employees are almost all Korean but many do have experience living or studying internationally. I wouldn’t say there
are cultural conflicts but we certainly do have spirited discussions on which solutions might be of interest to our clients
in Korea and what adaptations need to be made to make them the most beneficial for our clients here. That is a real
advantage of being a global company, we have unparalleled world-wide risk and insurance benchmarking capabilities
which, when combined with the creative ideas from our diverse workforce, help our clients better manage the risks
they face in Korea and abroad.
5. You have served on the Foreign Investment Advisory Council (FIAC) for many years and currently serve as
Chairman offering advice and assistance to Seoul Metropolitan Government on how to attract foreign direct
investment to the City. Why did you choose to work with them?
Over the years, I had met several executives who were serving on FIAC and I expressed my interest to serve should
an opening become available. When the opportunity arose, I gladly joined as it was an effective way to give
something back to my new home and contribute to Seoul’s development. I have had the opportunity to work with three
Mayors and all have made very positive impacts on the City. Seoul’s business environment has improved and foreign
businesses have invested and, at the same time, the City is cleaner than ever, has created more green space and
parks, there are abundant trees, shrubs and flowers planted around town, the infrastructure is superb, traffic is

3. reduced, tourism is booming, architecture is world-class and the riverside continues to be improved. FIAC has had
input on all of these very positive changes.
6. We have heard you joined the 2014
Financial Hub Seoul Conference in
New York with Park Won-soon, mayor
of Seoul last September. Would you
share the topic which you presented
on the conference?
The purpose of the conference was very
much in line with one of FIAC’s goals, to
promote Seoul as an attractive foreign
direct investment destination. SMG’s
presentations provided very detailed
data, statistics and regulatory change
information to the potential investors so I
focused on giving a foreigner’s
perspective on investing in Seoul and
included a number of positive examples
from Aon’s success story here. My
presentation was titled “The top 10 reasons to invest in Seoul” but I had to provide more than 10 since there are so
many good things to say about Seoul. It was an interesting experience considering that I grew up in New York but
was now encouraging New Yorkers to invest and live in Seoul.
7. What do you do in your free time? You can say anything like voluntary activities, sports, mountain
climbing, traveling or being with the family.
Outside of the office, I try to spend time with my family and, with two young kids, there is a lot of volunteering and
driving around town for soccer, piano, taekwondo, charity events and other commitments. On Sunday’s, we often take
walks together on Namsan or by the river with our two dogs. For me, I try to be active when I can by playing squash,
tennis or golf. For about a year, I enjoyed Korean archery on Namsan but I had to stop as I did not have enough time.
8. Of all the achievements that you’ve made in Seoul, what is the most memorable one? And do you have any
other goals to achieve?
It is hard to narrow it down to one. From a family perspective, it is having our children born and raised in Seoul.
Regarding business, it is being able to be successful in a city so different from New York and introducing several new
risk management practices and insurance protection solutions to Korea. For my time with FIAC, it is becoming
Chairman and going to New York to promote Seoul. One remaining goal is to assist Seoul Metropolitan Government
and, more broadly, the Central Government with developing and implementing their Safe City programs through
disaster preparedness and crisis management advice and the use of advanced risk transfer techniques.
9. Do you have anything to say to foreign investors who are looking to invest in Seoul? Anything that will
help them to make wise investment decisions, or any factors they need to consider before making

4. investments?
I would suggest that they speak with foreigners who have lived and worked in Korea for a number of years. They will
openly discuss the opportunities in Seoul, the challenges and how best to overcome them. There are also many
helpful resources available from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, KOTRA, embassies and the various chambers
of commerce. Of course, they can always contact me for a copy of my “Top 10 Reasons to Invest in Seoul”
presentation.