Visiting Research Fellow
Research Division
Areas of Expertise : Economic Development, Private Sector Development, Global and National Competitiveness, Global Value Chains, Public-Private Dialogue, Small and Medium Enterprise Development, Fragile, Conflict, and Violent (FCV) Countries, Corporate Strategy, Policy Dialogue
Kwang Wook Kim is a visiting research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. He is a global expert in competitiveness at the World Bank Group. His most recent roles include the Regional Lead for SME and Value Chain Advisory Solutions at the International Finance Corporation, covering Latin America & the Caribbean, and with a particular focus in Haiti.
Through his World Bank Group and management consulting career, Kwang has advised on strategy and competitiveness challenges at the enterprise, industry, and national level to leaders of Fortune 500 companies as well as to cabinet ministers in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and in Latin America and the Caribbean. He has led corporate advisory engagements to strengthen supply and distribution chains for consumer goods in the context of IFC investment operations in a fragile and conflict-affected country.
Kwang also led competitiveness initiatives in Guatemala, a multi-year initiative in the Caribbean (in residence), a team of advisors on value chain strategies in tribal areas of Pakistan, conducted public-private dialogue in Kyrgyzstan and Jordan, and advised on commodity supply-chain risk management strategies in Africa and Central America.
Mr. Kim is a principal author of a sector prioritization reference guide (2013), and a practical guide for developing cluster initiatives (2009), both for World Bank project leaders. Other recent publications include "How Firms Cope with Crime and Violence" (2014), a chapter and a blog article on growth strategies in fragile and post-conflict states for In the River They Swim: Essays from Around the World on Enterprise Solutions to Poverty (2009), and the Pakistan’s Competitiveness Report (2008). He is a member of the International Career Advancement Program (ICAP), a leadership network affiliated with the Aspen Institute.
M.A. in Law & Diplomacy, Fletcher School, Tufts University
B.A. in Economics, Loyola Marymount University
Global Expert in Competitiveness and Value Chains, World Bank Group
Regional Lead, SME and Value Chain Advisory Solutions, International Finance Corporation Advisory Services, Latin America & Caribbean Region
Adjunct Faculty, Georgetown University, Landegger Program in International Business Diplomacy
Senior Strategy Consultant, Monitor Group’s Country Competitiveness Unit (ontheFRONTIER)
ICAP Fellow, Aspen Institute
PromPeru Fellow (UNDP and Government of Peru)