Hannah’s journey

Navigating new industries and driving success in Third Bridge's Seoul office

“When I first joined the Seoul office, we were just starting out. It was very exciting, and it gave me room to challenge myself more."

If there's one thing that defines Hannah Youm, it's her passion for building something from the ground up. Hannah joined Third Bridge's Seoul office as a Client Services Associate with a unique advantage: prior experience in the expert network industry. But what truly excited her was the chance to help shape a new office and its culture. Despite her relatively short tenure, her journey at Third Bridge has been marked by both rapid professional growth and tangible, influential contributions to the vibrant, expanding office.

Starting out at Third Bridge

When Hannah joined Third Bridge as an Associate in June 2024, she wasn't totally new to the expert network industry. With seven months at another company under her belt she hit the ground running “I had a slightly better understanding of what the industry looked like, and what the expectations of me would be.” Knowledge which she leveraged from day one.

What drew her to Third Bridge in particular was the opportunity to be part of an office that was just getting started.

At the time, the Seoul office was cozy, with only a handful of people. It was a blank slate, and Hannah thrived on the opportunity to help build its foundation. Her proactive mindset and prior experience propelled her forward, and she quickly transitioned from a Client Services Associate to a Project Manager in early 2025. This progression was a natural fit, allowing her to take on more ownership and contribute to the office's rapid growth. Fast forward to today, with a bigger team and a recent move to a larger space, the office has become "so much more vibrant with so many more personalities."

A day in the life: from semi-conductors to seamless communication

Hannah's early days at Third Bridge were characterized by her curiosity. A significant part of her role involved custom recruiting, which meant contacting subject matter experts to verify their knowledge on a topic and see if they might be a good fit for a client project. As a result of these conversations, she’s constantly learning about new and niche industries. “Honestly, previously I did not know anything about semiconductors,” she jokes, “I was custom recruiting for a project and the expert's explanation was so fascinating that I spent extra time researching it on my own time because I was intrigued." This curious nature has set Hannah apart, enabling her to build deeper expert relationships by striving to become knowledgeable in the areas she recruits for. The opportunity to get exposure to new topics and keep learning is a strong motivator for Hannah “I love connecting with experts,” she says “I wouldn't have known any of these things if I hadn’t taken this role. I'm not an engineer, I can’t code. But it's fascinating to see what goes on in industries that are so big and influential.”

Now a Project Manager, her days are more dynamic and require detailed coordination. With projects often involving global teams, strong communication is a non-negotiable for Hannah. "The job is not a 'one-person job'," she emphasizes, and her rapid progression to Project Manager required her to hone her skills in this area. She's constantly communicating with different regional teams in Seoul, Hong Kong, and Shanghai to ensure projects are on track. Whether it's a quick chat on Slack to provide a clear update or a more detailed call to troubleshoot an issue, Hannah's day is all about making sure everyone is on the same page. “Project Managers are trusting other colleagues with a portion of their project, so it's super important to maintain regular, accurate communication,” she notes, “if there’s an update, whether it's good or bad, it should come in.” Holding herself to these high standards enables her to keep complex, multi-team projects moving forward and is a testament to how far her communication skills have come.

A multicultural mindset

Despite being a small but growing office, Hannah loves that the Seoul team is buzzing with diversity. “A lot of our recent joiners come from different backgrounds,” she says “I’ve always lived abroad, and this is my first time living in Korea. We just hired a graduate from the UK and some people have lived in China or Thailand. The diversity in the office is really cool”. This rich range of cultures creates a vibrant atmosphere at Third Bridge Seoul, and fuels interesting and enjoyable conversations during lunch breaks!

Hannah can contribute to this multicultural environment herself having lived in multiple countries. Even though Hannah is fluent in Korean, when she first began engaging with local experts, she hit a few stumbling blocks. “We cover a lot of niche industries that I don’t have the terminology for,” she says, “like battery projects in the automotive industry, I may know what an anode and cathode are in English, but I’ve never had to use that in Korean.” As the only native English speaker in the Korean office, her fluency is a major asset that allows her to focus her time on projects for global companies and global targets. “It's not that I don’t get given any Korean work, but my managers prioritize giving me global projects so I can push myself and excel.” Hannah recognizes that this has accelerated her development and helped her level up her skills, something she has really appreciated throughout her time at Third Bridge.

However, Hannah’s language skills extend even further, and she also speaks some German and Spanish, though she’ll be the first to admit not to the same proficiency. Hannah has found that a little language goes a long way and has used her German and Spanish skills to build relationships with experts. “A lot of experts are fluent in English,” she says, but adds that the simple gesture of opening a call in an expert’s native language can help get the relationship off on the right foot “They know I’m not a fluent speaker, but they’ll sometimes compliment my willingness and then proceed in English.” It is these small, but effective steps that have helped Hannah progress at speed.

From projects to headlines

For Hannah, job satisfaction comes from seeing her work translate into tangible results, be it for her clients or for Third Bridge. As her career has progressed, her proudest moments have shifted from achieving personal goals to focusing on the bigger picture of market share as a Project Manager. She recalls a project on electricity transformers where she brought in "a total of 50% market share" for Third Bridge, calling it one of her proudest moments. She’s already smashing her own personal bests and recently topped that with a project in the automotive industry, securing an incredible 80% market share.

Hannah also finds it incredibly fulfilling to see her work come full circle. "I think one of the most satisfying moments is when I work on a project and months later, I see a news article regarding that project or deal," she explains. These moments are a welcome reminder for Hannah that her day-to-day work facilitating research projects is having a very real and direct impact on clients and their ability not just to make decisions, but act on them with confidence.

Advice for new joiners

Hannah is a firm believer in transparency and always tries to set realistic expectations for new hires. Acknowledging that the role, especially with clients in Asia, can be very demanding with tight deadlines, she offers a reassuring perspective "No one's good at anything from the beginning.” She emphasizes that there is a learning curve, and it’s okay for that curve to look different for each person. For some, it might take three months to adjust, while for others it could take up to six.

What makes it all worthwhile for Hannah? The tangible results and sense of accomplishment that come with hitting goals. She knows that hard work pays off “It’s a very fun job once you get the hang of it!” she says encouragingly.

Hannah is proud to be part of a vibrant, multicultural and growing team. She’s found a company where her work truly matters, shaping real-world outcomes for clients, and this is only the beginning of her career at Third Bridge.