
Lauren Chung
Ex-KKR Investor, CFO, Writer: From careers that look right to ones that fit
Studied at University of Oxford
Worked at KKR & Co
Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.
Lauren's Offerings
Custom hourly · $400/hr
Get help with Career Planning, Cover Letters, and .
Lauren also coaches for Private Equity, Startup Founders, and Leadership Coaching. View all.
Lauren’s Career Coaching Qualifications
Coaches professionally
Experience level: Executive
I spent over a decade in demanding industries — investment banking and private equity, most recently as a Principal at KKR — before changing course myself: first to a start-up as CFO, then to coaching and writing. I've navigated the climb, the peak, and the pivot firsthand. I've seen demanding environments from the inside across their full range — from McKinsey and Google internships early on to global financial institutions to early-stage start-ups. I trained in coaching through ITS's Mastering the Coach Approach and have coached clients across finance, consulting, start-ups, and large tech. I hold an MSc in Financial Economics from Oxford. Most professionals spend their careers trying to meet external expectations, often neglecting their own aspirations and abandoning parts of themselves. I help you bridge the gap between the career that looks right and one that actually fits.
Lauren can help with:
Career Planning
Cover Letters
Freelancing
General Exploration
Interview Prep
Job Search Strategies
Leadership
Networking Strategy
Personal Branding
Professional Networking
Resume Review
Salary Negotiation
Skill Building
Lauren also coaches for Private Equity, Startup Founders, and Leadership Coaching. View all.
About Lauren
Originally from South Korea, I spent my adolescence in Canada, attended university in the US, and have lived and worked in the UK for over a decade. Moving across cultures from an early age shaped how I see the world and how I relate to people, work, and identity. Ambition, a strong work ethic, and a deep search for external validation were the main drivers of my life throughout my school years and the first decade of my career. I set high standards for myself and pursued my goals relentlessly. Yet despite outward success, I was never fully satisfied. As soon as I achieved one milestone, my attention quickly shifted to the next. Early in my career, I realized that continuing on this path would never bring lasting fulfillment. That realization marked the beginning of a journey of self-discovery — one that took me from therapy rooms in London to retreats and teachers across continents, most of it while still working in private equity. I began exploring how to free myself from a constant state of dissatisfaction, self-consciousness, and insecurity, and how to relate to myself and my ambitions in a healthier way. My professional life became a crucial part of this practice. Learning to understand myself, others, and situations more holistically and confronting my self-limiting beliefs not only transformed how I experienced my work, but it also accelerated my career growth in the highly competitive world of finance. Over time, this inner work led me into a second chapter. I became a coach and a writer to accompany those who aspire to live a thriving and harmonious life. I integrate multiple coaching methodologies, informed by my own lived experience across cultures, trainings, and seasons of life. I especially enjoy working with people navigating change or transition. The thread through all of it: helping people build lives that fit, not just lives that look right. Education - BA in Economics, Northwestern University - MSc in Financial Economics, University of Oxford - ITS Mastering the Coach Approach Program Work experience - CFO, Sama - Principal, KKR - Investment Director, PAI Partners - Manager, Private Equity, PSP Investments - M&A Analyst, Perella Weinberg Partners - Internships at: Google, McKinsey, and Credit Suisse
Work Experience
Coach: Leadership, Career Change, Personal Development
Lauren Chung
September 2024 - Present
Coaching leaders and professionals toward clarity and alignment. www.laurenchung.com
CFO & Business Impact Advisor
Sama
February 2024 - Present
CFO & Business Impact Advisor

Principal
KKR & Co
January 2022 - March 2023

Investment Director
PAI Partners
August 2019 - June 2021

Manager, Private Equity
PSP Investments
October 2016 - July 2019

M&A Analyst
Perella Weinberg Partners
July 2014 - August 2016
Education

Northwestern University
Bachelor of Arts (BA), Economics

University of Oxford
Master of Science (MS), Financial Economics