Lee Dong-won, the new CEO of Exco. [Exco]
Lee Dong-won, the new CEO of Exco. [Exco]

Exco has appointed former COEX President Lee Dong-won as its new chief executive.

Shareholders at a general meeting Wednesday formally elected Lee as the company's new CEO and president.

Exco had conducted an open recruitment process for the position, which included a first-round document review and a second-round interview before the executive recommendation committee put forward a candidate for board approval.

The new CEO will serve a two-year term.

Lee graduated from Daegon High School and Sungkyunkwan University with a degree in political science and diplomacy, and completed a graduate program in advertising and public relations at Korea University's Graduate School of Media and Communication.

He previously served as CEO of COEX, chairman of the Korea Exhibition Industry Association and executive vice president of LG Ad.

During his 32-year tenure at LG Ad, he oversaw advertising campaigns for the Seoul Olympics and the World Cup, as well as placements in major international outlets including Time, Newsweek and CNN, bringing the company's marketing to a global standard.

He later moved to COEX as president, where he successfully managed more than 200 exhibitions a year and organized a range of cultural events, including the C-Festival, a travel festival and a winter festival.

He also demonstrated innovative management by pioneering the installation of large-scale digital signage inside the building, transforming the space into a cutting-edge digital promotional venue.

"I will dramatically elevate Exco's expertise in exhibition planning and operations," Lee said, "and through that, breathe new energy into the Daegu regional economy."


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com