Customer focus, respect for the front line and talent development named as three pillars

[Provided by Dong-A Otsuka]
[Provided by Dong-A Otsuka]

Dong-A Otsuka said Wednesday that Kim Jun-ha, its newly appointed CEO and president, has set out three management priorities: customer focus, respect for the front line and talent development.

Kim is the first CEO in Dong-A Otsuka's history to have risen through the company's research and production divisions. Over decades, he oversaw product development, quality control and production operations on the factory floor. He defined research and production not as a simple manufacturing process but as "building customer trust through science."

Kim said he intends to extend that experience and philosophy across the company's broader management. "We hold outstanding brands such as Pocari Sweat and Narang Cider, but we cannot afford to rest on past success," he said. "We must become a company that understands customers' changing needs faster than anyone else and delivers new value."

Kim also said he wants Dong-A Otsuka to be a company where the front line is respected. "A good strategy may begin in a conference room, but results are always made in the field," he said. "I will build a company where every member — whether working in sales, logistics, production or anywhere in the office — is respected and able to give full expression to their abilities."

He said he believes people grow through experience, not education alone. "I believe great talent is not shaped by training alone but grows through diverse experience," he said. "I will invest actively in developing people so that employees can build deep expertise in their field, broaden their perspective through varied work experience and grow into the leaders of the future."

Kim added that he aims to lead from the front rather than position himself as a CEO with all the answers — listening to employees and going directly to the field to learn. "Dong-A Otsuka's competitiveness lies not only in our excellent products, facilities, brands and quality, but in the passion and expertise of each and every one of our employees," he said. "Together with every member of this organization, I will build a company that is stronger and more respected than it is today."


andy@heraldcorp.com