SK Group has unveiled its 2025 executive appointments, promoting two executives to president-level positions while enhancing its U.S. government relations team in anticipation of a possible second term for U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump. The conglomerate also reorganized its structure to bolster its capabilities in artificial intelligence (AI).
On Dec. 5, SK Group convened its SUPEX Council to finalize the appointments and structural adjustments, following approval through the boards of its subsidiaries. The group stated that these changes aim to sharpen its competitiveness in three key areas: technology, operational excellence, and global market leadership.
The promotions include Son Hyun-ho, Vice President of the SUPEX Council’s Strategy Support Team, who was named CEO and president of SK Discovery. Renowned for his expertise in strategic planning and finance, Son is set to lead SK Discovery’s next phase of growth.
Meanwhile, SK Hynix elevated Ahn Hyun to president. Ahn, who heads SK Hynix’s N-S Committee—a strategic unit formed in early 2024 to strengthen its NAND flash and solution businesses—will also assume the role of Chief Development Officer (CDO). He will oversee efforts to advance the company’s leadership in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) while enhancing competitiveness in DRAM and NAND flash technologies.
SK Group emphasized that this year’s reshuffle focuses on identifying leaders equipped to navigate global geopolitical challenges and drive AI and digital transformation (DT) initiatives. Of the 75 newly appointed executives, two-thirds possess expertise in business operations, research and development, and production, reflecting a push to reinforce core competencies.
This year, the total number of newly appointed executives declined for the third consecutive year, dropping from 164 in 2022 to 145 in 2023, and now to 82 in 2024.
Additionally, SK Innovation recruited Dr. Kim Pil-seok as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and head of Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute. Dr. Kim previously led climate change and renewable energy initiatives at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), where he oversaw more than 50 projects since 2020.
SK Group noted that many subsidiaries had already undergone leadership changes earlier this year. In October, SK Innovation appointed three CEOs with engineering backgrounds, while SK Square and SK Ecoplant made leadership adjustments in July and May, respectively.
