Summary
Huh Tae-soo is the chairman of GS Group and CEO of its holding company, GS. Born on Nov. 8, 1957, in Busan, he is the youngest of the five sons of Huh Joon-koo, the honorary chairman of LG Construction and the third son of the founder Huh Man-jung. After graduating from Seoul Central High School and Korea University, Huh Tae-soo earned an MBA from George Washington University.
He then developed a global perspective early in his career through international work experiences at Continental Bank and as the head of the London branch and the International Finance Business Division at LG Investment & Securities. In 2007, he became the CEO of GS Home Shopping and was recognized as a next-generation leader of the GS Group, successfully expanding the home shopping business internationally and into mobile shopping, which had previously been focused on domestic markets.
His career in distribution officially began in 2002 when he joined LG Home Shopping, the predecessor of GS Home Shopping, as the head of the Strategic Planning Division (executive director). Over the next 18 years, he served as the president and vice-chairman of GS Home Shopping, successfully establishing a duopoly in the home shopping industry alongside CJ O Shopping. Appointed as chairman of GS Group on Dec. 3, 2019, following his older brother Huh Chang-soo’s resignation, Huh Tae-soo officially assumed the role in February 2020.
Huh Tae-soo is known for disliking ostentation. He prefers not to stand out more than the operational staff and does not enjoy being in the spotlight. He often emphasizes to his employees that “it is no longer an era where innovation can be driven by the capabilities of a CEO or a few leaders,” and that “those who are in the field should be the agents of innovation.” His down-to-earth personality and practical approach are said to be in line with the DNA of the Huh family. He prioritizes practicality and efficiency over formality, actively seeking new growth avenues and advocating for management innovation in response to an unpredictable business environment.
Recently, Huh Tae-soo has been focusing on fostering innovation and discovering new growth engines through collaboration between large corporations and startups. Following proactive investments in startups by GS Home Shopping, he announced the establishment of a venture investment corporation in Silicon Valley to explore future growth drivers for the GS Group. It is known that the new chairman has been meeting with many young entrepreneurs in their 20s and 30s, seeking to learn about the changes in business and technology envisioned by these young entrepreneurs.
Timeline
▲ 1957 = Born in Busan.
▲ 1976 = Graduated from Seoul Central High School.
▲ 1982 = Graduated from the Department of Law at Korea University.
▲ 1985 = Earned a master’s degree from the School of Business at George Washington University, USA.
▲ 1986 = Assistant manager at Continental Bank.
▲ 1988 = Manager at Irving Bank.
▲ 1988 = Department Head at LG Investment & Securities.
▲ 1996 = Deputy Director of the International Finance Division at LG Investment & Securities.
▲ 1997 = Head of LG Securities’ London branch.
▲ 1998 = Executive Director of the Investment Banking Division at LG Investment & Securities.
▲ 2000 = Executive managing director in charge of IB Business Division at LG Investment & Securities.
▲ 2002 = Executive Director of the Strategic Planning Division at LG Home Shopping.
▲ 2003 = Vice President of the Strategic Planning Division at GS Home Shopping.
▲ 2004 - 2006 = Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of GS Home Shopping, in charge of the Management Support Headquarters.
▲ 2007 = President and CEO of GS Home Shopping.
▲ 2014 = Began serving concurrently as a non-executive director at GS Construction.
▲ 2015 = Vice Chairman and CEO of GS Home Shopping
▲ 2019 = Chairman of GS Group.
▲ 2023 = Vice Chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries
