SK Conducts Technology and Field-Focused Executive Reshuffle... Son Hyun-ho Appointed as Discovery CEO

Expansion of AI·DT Task Force... Strengthening Synergy Among Affiliates

On the 5th, SK Group carried out executive personnel changes and organizational restructuring, including the promotion of two presidents. The policy focuses on strengthening the competitiveness of each business with the keywords of technology, field, and global, along with stable change management.

Through this personnel change, Son Hyun-ho, head of the Strategy Support Team at SK Supex Council and a management strategy and finance expert, will be appointed as the CEO and President of SK Discovery. At SK Hynix, Ahn Hyun, in charge of the N-S Committee, is promoted to president and will take on the role of Chief Development Officer (CDO). This aims to solidify leadership in the High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) market and enhance competitiveness in DRAM and NAND technologies.

Hyunho Son, President and CEO of SK Discovery

Strengthening Competitiveness by Selecting Technology- and Field-Centered Figures

Each affiliate set the criteria for personnel selection as ▲strengthening core competitiveness such as technology and field experience ▲concentrating capabilities on AI and digital transformation (DT) ▲appointing individuals capable of proactively responding to geopolitical issues. A total of 75 newly appointed executives were selected, two-thirds of whom specialize in business, research and development (R&D), production, and other field and technology areas.

SK Innovation recruited Dr. Kim Pil-seok, who led projects related to climate change and renewable energy at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) research institute ARPA-E, as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and head of the Environmental Science and Technology Institute. Based on his experience leading over 50 DOE projects since 2020, CTO Kim will work to strengthen technological competitiveness.

SK On appointed Shin Chang-ho, head of the PM division at SK Inc., as the newly established Chief Operating Officer. Based on his diverse experience centered on the energy business, Shin will enhance execution capabilities and lead the optimization of the battery value chain by strengthening collaboration among strategy, finance, procurement, and planning organizations.

Following CEO Lee Seok-hee, who is from SK Hynix, SK On appointed Pi Seung-ho, head of manufacturing and development at SK Siltron, as the Chief Manufacturing Officer. Pi, who previously served as head of R&D at SK Hynix’s Future Technology Research Institute, led the in-house development of functional wafers that were previously dependent on overseas sources, driving localization of materials and components. Executives from SK Hynix will also be transferred and assigned to SK Siltron and SK Inc. C&C.

Ahn Hyun, Chief Development Officer (CDO) at SK Hynix

Expanding AI and DT Task Forces... Enhancing Affiliate Synergies

The group also implemented organizational restructuring to accelerate AI and DT initiatives across its affiliates. The SK Supex Council will expand the AI and DT task force (TF) under the Strategy and Global Committee. The AI TF, led by SK Telecom CEO Yoo Young-sang, will be expanded into an AI Promotion Group, and a new DT Promotion Team will be established separately from the existing DT TF led by SK Inc. C&C CEO Yoon Poong-young.

An AI R&D Center will be newly established under SK Telecom’s leadership to consolidate AI capabilities across the group and strengthen synergies among affiliates such as SK Hynix. SK Inc. will create an ‘AI Innovation Division’ directly under the CEO to explore growth businesses.

SK Americas, newly established in the first half of this year as SK Group’s North American external affairs control tower, appointed Vice President Paul Delaney as head of government relations to respond swiftly to geopolitical issues. Paul Delaney, who previously served as Chief of Staff at the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and international trade advisor to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, joined SK Americas in July. His role was expanded to oversee the group’s government relations in the Americas in this personnel change.

The SK Supex Council will maintain its structure of eight committees and a small elite system while deploying previously nurtured personnel forward to affiliate field sites. An SK Group official stated, "By focusing on business core competitiveness through technology-, field-, and global-centered personnel, and through proactive, timely personnel changes throughout the year, we will accelerate rapid organizational stabilization and the establishment of an execution-oriented corporate culture."