No vice chairman promotions this round

Hands-on specialists tapped to accelerate new business expansion

Jeong Seung-il, new SK Innovation CEO, is an energy policy veteran

Kang Dong-su of SK Innovation seen as strategy and finance expert

Yoon Pung-young brought in to sharpen HBM competitiveness

Key figures appointed to drive rebalancing effort

Kim Seon-hyeok, new SK president, is a portfolio management specialist

Chu Hyung-wook, Southeast Asia president, led Vietnam LNG project

Clockwise from top left: Jang Yong-ho, CEO of SK; Kim Seon-hyeok, president at SK; Kang Dong-su, CEO of SK Innovation and SK Energy; Kim Won-gi, CEO of SK Enmove and SK Geocentric; Yoon Byeong-seok, CEO of SK Discovery; Song Gyeong-yeol, CEO of SK GAS; Kwon Young-soo, president at the Supex Council; Chu Hyung-wook, SK Southeast Asia president. [Provided by SK Group]
Clockwise from top left: Jang Yong-ho, CEO of SK; Kim Seon-hyeok, president at SK; Kang Dong-su, CEO of SK Innovation and SK Energy; Kim Won-gi, CEO of SK Enmove and SK Geocentric; Yoon Byeong-seok, CEO of SK Discovery; Song Gyeong-yeol, CEO of SK GAS; Kwon Young-soo, president at the Supex Council; Chu Hyung-wook, SK Southeast Asia president. [Provided by SK Group]

"We pursued stability given the high level of global uncertainty, while actively identifying talent capable of strengthening the group's competitiveness in new businesses," a senior business community official said of SK Group's personnel reshuffle announced Friday.

Unlike last year, no executives were promoted to vice chairman, and Choi Chang-won, chairman of the SK Supex Council, was retained in his post. Only three new presidents were promoted. Instead, key affiliates including SK Innovation and SK hynix moved to place proven operational specialists in frontline roles.

Having replaced the chief executives of major affiliates en masse last year, SK Group appears to have focused this round on stabilizing existing management structures. The reshuffle is expected to accelerate the rebalancing — a business portfolio optimization drive launched in 2024 — while simultaneously stepping up the search for future growth engines.

In the energy and chemicals segment, SK Group tapped executives with the expertise to navigate external risks. Jeong Seung-il, the new CEO of SK Innovation, is regarded as an energy policy veteran with a multidimensional understanding of power infrastructure and electricity market structures, having previously served as vice minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, president of Korea Electric Power Corporation and president of Korea Gas Corporation.

Kang Dong-su, appointed as co-CEO of SK Innovation, has held roles including head of strategy and finance and head of the portfolio division at SK Innovation. Since November last year, Kang has served as a president at SK and head of the PM division, overseeing group-level investment decisions — a track record that has earned a reputation within SK Group as a strategy and finance expert. Kang is expected to focus on improving operational efficiency to boost profitability and corporate value.

Kim Won-gi, who will also serve as president of SK Geocentric, is expected to pursue competitiveness improvements in the chemicals business, drawing on experience in generating stable returns. Kim Gyeong-jun, the new president of SK Earthon, will work to strengthen the business's competitive position based on expertise built in the resource development field.

Song Gyeong-yeol, the new president of SK GAS, joined SK Group in 2019 after working at McKinsey & Company. Since then, Song has handled energy and power business strategy, new business development and portfolio strategy at the group level, and currently serves as head of strategy at SK GAS and head of business development and future strategy at SK Discovery. Through this reshuffle, SK GAS plans to expand its LNG value chain.

SK hynix appointed an executive capable of leading the push to strengthen its AI semiconductor business. Yoon Pung-young, who will serve as corporate affairs president at SK hynix, has built experience and capabilities in strategy, investment, business development and AI transformation across SK Group and is regarded as one of the group's top strategists.

Ahn Hyun, appointed as president for the Americas, led the development of AI memory products at SK hynix, including HBM and the low-power DRAM module SOCAMM. SK hynix is currently expanding its presence in the United States — where major HBM customers such as Nvidia are concentrated — by establishing an AI company there. With the construction of an advanced packaging factory in Indiana under way and a review of new production facility investment at NAND flash subsidiary Solidigm also in progress, Ahn's role is expected to carry significant weight.

Cha Seon-yong, the new president heading the Future Technology Research Institute, is credited with laying the groundwork for fine-process technology at SK hynix and contributing to the company's DRAM competitiveness across product lines from DDR and LPDDR to HBM.

SK, the group's holding company, actively appointed figures suited to driving the rebalancing effort. Kim Seon-hyeok, the new president, is recognized as one of the group's leading portfolio management specialists, most recently serving as head of strategy at SKC. Existing CEO Jang Yong-ho will oversee key management issues including portfolio management and financial strategy, while Kim will focus on supporting operational improvements at affiliates. Kwon Young-soo, newly appointed as a president at the Supex Council, will work to strengthen synergies among member companies and carry out the group's future-readiness agenda.

Yoon Byeong-seok, the new president of SK Discovery, has built broad expertise across SK GAS in management support, gas operations, solutions and trading, and power generation. Since serving as CEO from 2018, Yoon is credited with expanding the company's business structure from a liquefied petroleum gas-centered model to one encompassing LNG and power generation, driving portfolio upgrades and new business development simultaneously.

The reshuffle also signaled SK Group's commitment to strengthening its overseas operations. Chu Hyung-wook, appointed as president for Southeast Asia, previously led the Vietnam LNG business while serving as CEO of SK E&S and CEO of SK Innovation. Drawing on that experience, Chu is expected to accelerate the identification of new business opportunities across Southeast Asia.


yeongdai@heraldcorp.com