Name: Mike Choi
Hometown: Seoul, South Korea
Joined: 5/10/2021
Department(s): Finance
Spoken Languages: Korean, English
What excites you about being part of the Cherre family?
Cherre is building a platform that many others have tried and failed, and in many ways, moving into uncharted territory in real estate technology. As a result, the people at Cherre are not only smart, but bold, innovative, and most importantly, open to feedback and criticism. It excites me everyday to work with this family, in a culture where transparency and collaboration is not just encouraged, but required.
At Cherre, we are all snow leopards – what are you working on and what makes you unique?
I am working with Ken, our VP of Finance, to modernize our finance and accounting infrastructure that can help us scale successfully over the long-term. I’m also working with different departments to automate building and monitoring of financial/operational metrics for more efficient reporting. I believe what makes me unique, at least among financial analysts, is the ability to marry my business acumen built from investing experience with a problem-solving mindset developed through coding.
How do you give back to the community to change our world for the better?
Over the last nine years, I have volunteered in various ways as a member of the Saint Assisi Catholic Church community. They ranged from big projects like farming and building homes for those in need, to giving a helping hand in breadlines. I have had an unwanted break during COVID, but resuming again this Summer.
What keeps you curious and engaged to grow personally/professionally?
I have always hated being static. Traveling around many cities at a young age (mostly due to my father’s job) made me think the world is too big and interesting to get lazy about learning new things after formal education. I have actually realized the moment you get out of a rigid box called schools, is when you begin to have the most fun in learning things you are passionate about, often in practical settings.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Playing, watching, and thinking about football (or soccer); spending quality time with my wife Hana, and my dog Monet; stock investing.
What is the last book you read/movie you watched?
The Billionaire Who Wasn’t by Conor O’Clery – It’s the only book I read that made me want to get super rich and poor at the same time. Chuck Feeney has completely changed the way I think about philanthropy.
If your life were being turned into a movie, who would play you or narrate your story?
I’m more familiar with football players than film stars, so I will choose James Milner of Liverpool. He is the oldest member of the team, a boring, unexciting player from Leeds who hasn’t caught headlines despite winning 61 caps for England, and drinks Ribena instead of beer. Yet if you watch his interviews and Instagram posts, he is anything but boring. I think I lead a very normal life, so I need his wit and twist of sarcasm to make it a bit more special.
