BBCN Names Kevin S. Kim as President and CEO

BBCN Bank has named Kevin S. Kim as its permanent president and chief executive officer, positions the 56-year-old has been holding on an interim basis since January. The unanimous appointment by the company’s board of directors makes Kim the chairman, president and chief executive officer of both BBCN Bank and its holding company, BBCN Bankcorp, Inc.

“It is a privilege to have the opportunity to lead the premier Korean American bank in the nation,” Kim said, according to a press announcement released today. “My dream for BBCN has always been to build a company which represents the most successful business enterprise among those founded by Korean Americans. I look forward to working even more closely with the entire management team and board to further strengthen and build upon the BBCN franchise.”

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Kim has served as BBCN Bankcorp, Inc.’s chairman since May 2012, and was appointed as its president and chief executive in March of last year.

Prior to BBCN, Kim was the director of Center Financial Corporation and Center Bank from 2008. He was the lead negotiator of the deal that merged Center Bank and Nara Bank, which created BBCN, the largest Korean American bank in the nation, with a total of $6.7 billion in assets as of March 31. He also practiced law for 18 years, with a focus in corporate and business transactions, business acquisitions, tax planning, and real estate transactions.

He began his professional career as a Certified Public Accountant. After receiving his B.A. in English from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, South Korea, he earned his MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and his J.D. from Loyola Law School in California.

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