Finalist: Vivian I. Kim

General Counsel & Chief People Officer
Hanmi Financial
UC Berkeley School of Law

Vivian I. Kim worked at a mortgage company doing investor relations and fraud investigation before she went to law school. After that, she worked at an AmLaw 200 law firm doing complex business litigation before moving in-house with Hanmi Bank in 2015 as corporate counsel. She became general counsel in 2017. She also took over as interim chief human resources officer during the pandemic in 2020, where she headed theCOVID-19 task force, navigating rapidly changing safety guidelines. She was promoted as EVP and chief people officer in 2021. She proactively partnered with various departments within the organization by providing the necessary general counsel and legal advice for the bank to offer pandemic assistance to its customers and the community, including the PPP program. She is past president of the Korean American Bar Association of Southern California and has been on its board since 2013.