Young Mi Kim is a communications professional whose grounding in journalism and expertise in communication strategy has helped her employers and clients tell their stories effectively and authentically. Over 17 years, she honed her skills in key disciplines, including corporate, leadership and employee communications, having worked for three talented CEOs at consumer-facing Fortune 500 companies. Along the way, Young Mi developed a deep appreciation for the power of simple words and images, which she infused into the corporate narratives she helped to craft.
Young Mi began her communication training at New York University (NYU), where she studied and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism. While working at Outdoor Life Magazine, she attended Fordham University, receiving a Master’s Degree in Public Communications. Her training prepared her to be an editor and writer, which she pursued at several consumer and trade publications, both on staff and as a freelance writer. As editor of a furniture trade magazine, Young Mi developed an enduring interest and passion for home design that has influenced both her work and personal life. She is the author of two design books, Neoclassical and Art Deco, published by Friedman/Fairfax Publishers.
After several years as a magazine editor, Young Mi transitioned to business communication at Avon Products in New York. There, she applied her journalism skills within a corporate environment, helping to develop and publish stories across various internal and external channels, including the company’s employee magazine and annual report.
She brought her background and skills to Gap Inc. in San Francisco several years later, working within the Corporate Communications team. Focused on employee and executive communications, Young Mi’s strong storytelling and visual narrative style helped cement her reputation as a creative communications leader. Her work at Gap Inc. resulted in several accolades, including the awards from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) for CEO and intranet communications, as well as Top 10 Publications Award from Ragan Communications for her breakthrough work on making the company’s intranet more effective.
Young Mi moved to eBay Inc., drawn by the opportunity to help develop the corporate narrative of this Internet and technology pioneer. Initially, she led the building of an executive communications function within the company, which included supporting the CEO. She moved on to develop the digital publishing department, leading a small team in launching both the corporate website, ebayinc.com, as well as rebranding and relaunching the company intranet. While in this role, she led the development of an intranet app, resulting in an article in Forbes – a rare instance of media coverage for a company’s employee communication efforts.
As an independent communication strategist, Young Mi offers her employers a unique combination of skills and experiences, as well as a creative, cut-through approach to corporate storytelling.