Hannah

Having started at the company in 2011, Marketing Deputy Manager Hannah Yang oversees the marketing and promotions portfolios at S-Oil Total Korea. With a background in economics and an MBA in marketing, Hannah brings a confident and vibrant persona to her marketing team at S-Oil Total's office in central Seoul.

Diversified Experience.

"My mantra is that one should work in three different industries within 10 years of graduation," Hannah states confidently. "It doesn't matter which, so long as they have different target customers. This way, one can truly become a consummated marketing professional.” Having started her career at a large Korean food manufacture before moving onto a leading cosmetics retailer, and now S-Oil Total, it's three for three. But what led her to the company? "At first the company and the industry weren't quite familiar to me, but after I looked into it, I thought it would be a good challenge," she shares. Hannah's past experiences were also perfect for the role, having both offline marketing and online media and research experience.

Locally Driven Success

In her role as the advertising and promotions manager, Hannah works in a team of six. "When I first started at the company, it was a bit of challenge," she recalls. "We were up against much larger local competitors who had already established quite strong brand awareness in the market." But Hannah took this in stride to deliver an extraordinary turnaround with her team. Results have improved two to three times over, and brand awareness has since risen. "On top of the survey results on our brand awareness, I'm personally finding more consumers have heard of the brand these days, which is great," Hannah gleams. "We even have competitors benchmarking our campaigns and following our lead!"

But with a brand which has a strong global presence, doing things the local way isn’t always easy. "You sometimes find that you have to discuss with the team both locally and internationally to find the right balance for Korea,” shares Hannah. "Some campaigns designed for a global audience don't always work in Korea locally, so you have to work with all stakeholders to reduce these barriers.”

A True Team Approach

She finds the atmosphere and sense of equality between employees the most refreshing and enjoyable factors. "You can raise an opinion and share your thoughts and ideas freely, and these are often taken on board,” she says. They workplace is largely male dominated, yet the small number of females enlivens the place. "While the guys in the office are more conscious of the hierarchy and line of command, us female employees tend to share our comments and thoughts when we feel we can contribute in a positive way." It's this sort of atmosphere that she enjoys the most about her job.

Another remarkable thing about S-Oil Total is the level of attention paid to safety within the company. "You notice that everyone upholds the safety regulations in their workspaces. People don't cut corners on the production floor or in the labs, they stick to the designated walkways and paths. It's these little things," she shares. "That’s what separates the great from the ordinary.”​

Being Committed To Better Energy Is In Everything We Do

Whilst other industries and companies may not be fully pursuing safety and sustainability over profit, Hannah believes it's an important message for now and into the future. "It's a leadership opportunity for our company in the market, and it's good to be on that forefront."

One daily example for her would be the education of customers on when and how to change their engine oil. "You often see commercials advising the maximum duration on when to change the oil," states Hannah. "The problem is, whilst the figures may not be wrong, per se, it's not so great for the engine, and in turn, the environment.”

On top of this, it's tailoring the messaging correctly. "In line with Korean law, consumers are not allowed to dispose of used engine oil themselves, so we communicate the legal and correct ways to do so." This too contributes to better energy. It's the sum of the parts overall. On this, Hannah concludes, "Being committed to better energy is in everything we do at S-Oil Total. The thing I like about the company is that when they commit themselves to something, you can really see and feel the change."