Paper crafts to carbon markets: A Russian entrepreneur’s sustainability journey in Korea

[Hired in Korea]

As more internationals look to build careers in Korea, many find themselves facing practical hurdles — from limited guidance to a lack of firsthand experience. To bridge that gap, the Korea JoongAng Daily talks with professionals who have carved out their paths in diverse fields, offering readers real-world insights on how to start their careers in the country in this series “Hired in Korea.”

While running her own paper recycling business in Russia, Marina Neretina wanted a bigger opportunity in a country with a completely different culture, and she chose Korea.

Neretina went on to earn a master’s degree in international business from Ewha Womans University and now works as the marketing lead at sustainability startup CnerG.

CnerG runs a global digital marketplace that helps companies procure environmental commodities, including international renewable energy certificates and carbon credits.

"I was always interested in marketing and sustainable development, so I would say what I'm doing now is almost the perfect role for me," Neretina told the Korea JoongAng Daily. "It all started with making handmade paper, which made me wonder, 'Why don't we find better ways to recycle paper?'"

"Now I've built the company's marketing system almost from scratch, and I'm happy to see not only my own professional growth but also the growth of the sustainability industry here in Korea," she added.

The Korea JoongAng Daily sat down with Neretina to learn more about her journey, the challenges of building a career in Korea as a foreign professional and her advice for others hoping to do the same.

Q. Have you always been interested in sustainable development?

A. Yeah, because I’ve always wanted to have a bigger purpose.

Working in the sustainability sector, I feel like I'm contributing to a business that helps the environment, which gives me a meaningful role in society.

Even though it all started rather randomly when I was making paper crafts, I really enjoyed creating things with paper and eventually started a business. The more I worked on it, the more I realized how rewarding it is to do something meaningful.

When I saw a position at this company, I thought, "This is the right role for me." Luckily, I received the job offer.

I was happy to work in a field that aligned with my values.

What kind of company is CnerG, and what does the company do?

CnerG is a company focused on renewable energy and carbon credit markets.

Our clients are companies that either voluntarily or due to industry regulations want to become more sustainable and responsible. They may want to purchase renewable energy or offset their carbon emissions by buying carbon credits.

That's where CnerG comes in.

There are many regulations governing these markets, so companies can't simply buy carbon credits or renewable energy certificates without understanding which options are suitable for them.

CnerG helps businesses navigate those regulations by providing expert guidance and making it easier to procure the right environmental commodities.

What is your role at CnerG?

My role as a marketing lead is to attract new customers effectively.

Since the renewable energy and carbon markets are highly technical and heavily regulated, I’m in charge of assessing and explaining everything to our clients. The goal is to demonstrate our expertise while helping potential clients understand how these markets work.

Although my primary focus has always been digital marketing, I have taken on broader responsibilities, including developing strategy, establishing marketing processes and launching new channels and initiatives.

Overall, my work involves creating marketing assets and content, managing our website and digital channels, and running paid online campaigns that help us attract new clients and generate leads from companies interested in working with us.

What helped you prepare for your current role?

I believe my bachelor's degree in translation and interpreting helped me a lot because I learned a great deal about intercultural communication.

That's actually a big part of global marketing.

The majority of our clients are international. So, it's always important to understand how to communicate with people from different cultural backgrounds.

I also completed public speaking training.

As a marketer, I need to present at webinars or speak at events, so learning how to control my voice and deliver a message effectively has been helpful.

Did you have previous experience at another company before joining CnerG?

Yes. My previous company was also in the sustainability sector.

The company developed a digital platform for managing renewable energy resources. It helped companies monitor and optimize how they used renewable electricity, for example, tracking multiple energy sources and deciding when to use renewable energy most effectively.

Working there deepened my understanding of marketing in the energy and sustainability sectors. Combined with my entrepreneurial experience, it prepared me to take on broader responsibilities and lead the overall marketing strategy in my current role.

Does CnerG hire many international employees?

Yes. As of now, about 10 percent of our employees are international staff.

We're also opening an office in New York, so we're hiring more international employees.

I'd say it's a fairly international work environment, and we use English in our day-to-day work. I think that's one of the reasons I enjoy working here.

At CnerG, as long as you're capable of doing your job well and fulfilling your responsibilities, it doesn't really matter where you're from.

What has been the most rewarding moment in your career so far?

Marketing is a numbers-driven field, so you always measure your performance.

Last year, my main goal was to increase the number of incoming leads, and I was able to increase them by 150 percent, which was a huge achievement for me.

I think that's probably the most rewarding moment in my career so far.

When you join a new company, you're always a little nervous. You wonder, "Am I good enough? Will I actually be able to do the job?"

Of course, you work hard to prove yourself, but deep down, there's always some self-doubt.

So, when I finally saw the results, I was like, "I did it."

Were you a Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) recipient?

No, I wasn't a GKS student. I did apply for it, but I wasn't selected.

However, many universities have their own internal scholarships.

In my case, one of my professors invited me to become her research assistant, which helped me a lot financially.

Also, universities may cover a percentage of your tuition if you maintain excellent grades and rank highly in your department.

In the end, I only had to pay about half of my tuition.

Was there any memorable experience that stood out to you during the job application process?

One of the first things I noticed was that Korean resumes are quite different from Western-style resumes.

At first, I looked into how to write a Korean-style resume, but then I realized that my Korean was still very limited. It wasn't at a professional working level.

Some of my friends, who speak Korean fluently, offered to help translate my resume and prepare the application. But I decided not to do that because I didn't want to mislead anyone or misrepresent myself.

Instead, I created a standard Western-style resume and applied with that.

For me, it became a kind of filter. When a company accepted my resume and contacted me for an interview, I felt that it probably meant they were already open to hiring international employees.

That gave me confidence that I would probably feel comfortable working there because they were accepting me as I was.

What are some of the pros and cons of working at a startup?

One of the biggest advantages [of working at a startup] is that you get to do a lot of different things. Because there are so many responsibilities, you have the opportunity to try a wide variety of tasks throughout your career.

It strengthens your resume, but it also gives you more confidence because you know you've gained experience in many different areas.

Another advantage is that startups usually give you a lot of freedom. Since processes are still being developed, operations can be a bit unstructured, but that also means you have the opportunity to share your ideas.

But that's also one of the biggest downsides.

Sometimes tasks move very quickly, but other times progress actually slows down because processes haven't been fully established. There are moments when no one is completely sure who's responsible for a particular task.

You can clearly see that something isn't working or could be improved.

Could you explain what the industry involves? How do you see the future of this field?

In Korea, there's still a lot of room for improvement. I wouldn't say the industry is underdeveloped, but compared with Europe and the United States, there are still fewer regulations in place.

However, a lot of progress is being made, and the industry is continuing to evolve.

There are countless discussions taking place and reaching international agreements. I think that's an important step in the right direction.

There are also ongoing challenges, such as Korea's limited land area.

Renewable energy production is often linked to the amount of land a country has available, and because Korea is relatively small, expanding renewable energy generation can be difficult. That's one reason Korea is investing more in offshore wind projects.

What are your future career goals? Do you have any advice for students who want to build a career in Korea?

As for my career goals, I want to continue developing as a marketer.

I'll keep learning and improving my skills so I can make a greater impact in my field.

I also hope to achieve bigger results and make more meaningful contributions through my work in the future.

As for advice, I'd encourage anyone who wants to build a career in Korea to gain as much international experience as possible.

Marketing, especially digital marketing, is still evolving rapidly, and in some cases, global trends are adopted later in different markets. Being able to explain how things work internationally and bring a fresh, global perspective can be a real advantage.

I hope more international professionals recognize the value of that experience and come prepared to demonstrate how their global perspective can benefit a company.

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [[email protected]]