최초입력 2025.03.11 11:24:30
SK Group has shown a preference for appointing corporate executives and academics over former government officials as external directors, a move aimed at enhancing board expertise. Chey Tae-won, chairman of South Korea’s SK Group, who will be reappointed as CEO at the upcoming annual general meeting (AGM) of SK Inc. on March 26th, 2025, has been emphasizing a board-centered management approach as part of his commitment to responsible management.
According to SK on Monday, SK Inc. plans to appoint Lee Kwan-young, former vice president for research at Korea University, and Jeong Jong-ho, professor at Seoul National University‘s Graduate School of International Studies, as external directors at the AGM. Additionally, external director Kim Seon-hee, vice chair of Maeil Dairies, will be appointed as an audit committee member. Chey is set to be reappointed as CEO for another three-year term, while Kang Dong-soo, head of the Portfolio Management (PM) division, will replace Lee Sung-hyung as an internal director.
SK Inc. serves as the holding company of SK Group, which controls subsidiaries such as SK innovation, SK square, SK hynix, SK telecom, and SK biopharm. SK Group operates under a trinity governance structure, consisting of independently managed subsidiaries, or member companies, the group’s highest decision-making body, the SUPEX Council, and the investment-focused holding company SK Inc.
Other SK Group affiliates are also reshuffling their board members. SK innovation plans to appoint Gong Sung-do, former CEO of GE Energy Korea, as an external director, while SKC will appoint Jeong Hyun-wook, former executive at Lam Research Korea. SK biopharm nominated Kim Yong-jin, a professor at Seoul National University College of Medicine, and Cho Kyoung-sun, senior advisor at Shinhan DS, as external directors. Cho previously served as CEO of Shinhan DS and vice president of Shinhan Bank.
Companies under SK discovery, which is controlled by SUPEX Council Chairman Choi Chang-won, are also appointing corporate executives as external directors. SK gas has nominated Jung Young-chae, an advisor at Meritz Securities and former CEO of NH Investment & Securities, as an external director. SK chemicals selected Park Tae-jin, former chairman of J.P. Morgan Korea, while SK bioscience plans to appoint Lee Eui-kyung, professor at Sungkyunkwan University‘s Department of Pharmaceutical Industry, and Park Sun-hyun, professor at Seoul National University Business School as external directors.
Meanwhile, SK Group is accelerating its digital transformation (DT) efforts, recently hosting the “SK Manufacturing Solutions Day” at Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul.
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