Kevin S. Kim is Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and, effective April 1, 2026, is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank. Previously, Mr. Kim was also the President of the Bank until March 31, 2026. Mr. Kim assumed the role of Chairman in 2019. Mr. Kim spearheaded the series of mergers that created Hope Bancorp, Inc. and Bank of Hope, respectively, and led the significant growth in assets of the Bank and its predecessor companies. He has expertise in executive leadership, mergers and acquisitions, and accounting, and deep experience in the banking industry.
Mr. Kim previously served on the Bankers Advisory Board of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors. In 2014, Mr. Kim joined the Bank's predecessor bank, BBCN Bank, as the President and Chief Executive Officer. Before that, Mr. Kim practiced law for 18 years, focusing on corporate and business transactions, business acquisitions, tax planning, and real estate transactions. Mr. Kim began his professional career as a certified public accountant, working for two of the largest public accounting firms.
Mr. Kim received his B.A. with a major in English and a minor in International Trade from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, Korea, an M.B.A. from the Anderson School of Management, the University of California, Los Angeles, and a J.D. from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Kim is a graduate of the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking, University of Pennsylvania, and earned his Wharton Leadership Certificate from The Wharton School Aresty Institute of Executive Education.