Seeking New Growth Engines & Corporate Culture

SK Chairman Chey promotes men close to him to key positions through personnel reshuffle aimed at generational change

Chairman Chey Tae-won of SK Group

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won promoted to key positions executives close to him through various connections during their careers with the group, industry sources said recently.
It was particularly evident in the personnel reshuffle taken at SK Telecom, with many men who formerly worked with Dai Han Telecom and trained at SK Telecom in the 1990s promoted to important positions in the company. In other affiliates, too, those close to the chairman got the best of the personnel moves at the group, the sources said.
President Ha Song-min of SK Telecom and President Suh Jin-woo of SK Telecom and Platform, both promoted to key positions, are among the men that came from Dai Han Telecom, as is President Bae Jun-dong of Network CIC, the sources said.
Officials of SK Telecom said the chairman wants to have a stronger grip on SK Telecom though these so-called Royal Guards. President Chung Chol-gil of SK C&C, the holding company of SK Group, is also said to have a deep connection with the chairman through their shared management training period. In fact, he was the boss of the chairman when he was heading a section at SK Energy and he is known to have provided ideological background for the chairman's management philosophy 'SKMS.'
Also, Chey values his alums from Shinil High School who work for the group. Kim Joon-ho, vice president in charge of the group's ethical management, has also been promoted to president of SK Telecom GMS. He is three years senior from the same high school and Korea University. President Yoo Chung-joon of SK Energy R&M, who has been named to head SK G&G in charge of finding new growth engines for the group, is also Chey's alum from Korea University. He won the confidence of Chey when he lead the fight against the hostile takeover attempt by Sovereign Fund in 2004.
President Kim Young-tae of SK Co. is not a traditional oil and chemical man, coming as he did through personnel and corporate culture units. He also was head of the SK Academy. Chey picked him for his current position because of the straightforward and courageous statements he made during executive meetings, which the chairman liked.
Managing Director Park Sang-kyu, head of the chairman's secretary's office, was also named to his important position by winning the chairman's confidence for his work in connection with the launch of the holding company, particularly in the area of investment strategies.
Chey aimed at a generational change through the current personnel reshuffle and promoted men close to him to key positions while focusing on the search for new growth engines and a creative change of corporate culture at the group, industry sources said.nw