'Jang Inhwa's 10 Months in Office' POSCO Group Replaces CEOs of 7 Affiliates... Personnel Renewal Amid Recession

Posco Lee Hee-geun, E&C Jung Hee-min, FutureM Eom Ki-cheon, etc.
15% Reduction in Executives, Over 30% Cut in Promotions
Major Business Companies Implement Organizational Slimming

POSCO Group carried out the "2025 Regular Organizational Restructuring and Executive Appointments" on the 23rd, replacing the presidents of its seven major affiliates. From the left in the photo: Lee Hee-geun, newly appointed CEO of POSCO; Jung Hee-min, newly appointed CEO of POSCO E&C; Eom Ki-cheon, CEO of POSCO Future M; Lee Joo-tae, newly appointed head of the Future Strategy Division at POSCO Holdings; Cheon Seong-rae, newly appointed head of the Business Synergy Division at POSCO Holdings. Photo by POSCO Holdings

Just 10 months after Chairman Jang In-hwa took office, POSCO Group has replaced the president teams of seven major affiliates, initiating a personnel overhaul.

On the 23rd, POSCO Group carried out the "2025 Regular Organizational Restructuring and Executive Personnel Appointments." Through this personnel reshuffle, POSCO Group aims to streamline the organization and boldly pursue generational change centered on proven outstanding talent to overcome uncertain management conditions. After Chairman Jang In-hwa's inauguration, a president and executive personnel appointment was made in February this year, but the replacement of major affiliate presidents within 10 months reveals a sense of urgency.

The executive appointments focused on ▲bold generational change ▲a zero-tolerance policy for safety accidents and expanded internal promotions within business companies ▲increased appointment of female executives with expertise and business capabilities. As a result of this reshuffle, the number of executives was reduced by 15%, and executives born before 1963 will step down from frontline management. The number of promotions also decreased by more than 30%, from 92 last year to 62 this year.

New CEOs: Lee Hee-geun of POSCO, Jung Hee-min of POSCO E&C, Eom Ki-cheon of POSCO Future M, etc.

Lee Hee-geun, head of POSCO's Facility Robustness TF team (Vice President), was appointed as the new CEO of POSCO. Lee Hee-geun will be responsible for restructuring unprofitable businesses and enhancing business competitiveness. He previously served as Deputy Head of the Hot Rolling Department at the Pohang Steelworks, Head of the Safety and Environment Headquarters, and CEO of POSCO M-Tech. He is regarded as the right person to lead operations, safety, and facility robustness with his technical expertise in hot rolling operations and professional perspective on safety.

Jung Hee-min, head of the Architecture Business Division (Vice President), was promoted to CEO of POSCO E&C; Eom Ki-cheon, head of the Energy Materials Business Division (Vice President), was appointed CEO of POSCO Future M; and Shim Min-seok, head of POSCO Digital Innovation Office (Managing Director), was appointed CEO of POSCO DX.

POSCO highlighted that the key point of this affiliate president appointment is "internal talent equipped with both business expertise and stable leadership." In particular, three business company CEOs born in the 1970s with expertise and an entrepreneurial mindset were selected: Park Seung-dae, CEO of POSCO Humans; Oh Gae-hee, CEO of POSCO HY Clean Metal; and Park Bu-hyun, CEO of POSCO IH. Including the existing CEO of POSCO Silicon Solution, Lee Jae-woo, the number of business company CEOs born after 1970 has increased to four. These business company CEOs will assume office after each company's general shareholders' meeting and board of directors' approval.

This group regular personnel appointment also saw remarkable progress of female executives with expertise and business capabilities. POSCO Group appointed five new female executives to strengthen diversity and inclusion. Among the 45 newly appointed executives in this group reshuffle, the proportion of female executives reached 11%. Lee Yoo-kyung, who served as POSCO Group's first female business company CEO and was head of POSCO Holdings' Management Support Team, was promoted to POSCO Group's first female vice president and transferred to head the POSCO Purchasing and Investment Headquarters.

The newly appointed female executives are ▲Jin Young-joo, head of POSCO Environmental Energy Planning Office (former head of Environmental Planning Group, Managing Director) ▲Lee Ji-eun, head of POSCO Building Materials Home Appliance Marketing Office (former head of POSCO International Cold Rolling Business Office, Managing Director) ▲Ahn Mi-seon, head of Purchasing and Contract Office at POSCO E&C (former Managing Director) ▲Park Sung-eun, head of POSCO Human Resources and Culture Office (former head of POSCO DX Management Support Office, Managing Director) ▲Bang Mi-jung, full-time auditor at POSCO M-Tech (former secretary general of POSCO Cheongam Foundation).

Meanwhile, Son Byung-rak, the first executive from POSCO's master craftsmen, was promoted from managing director to executive director this time.

Jang In-hwa, Chairman and CEO of POSCO Group, is delivering a greeting at a press conference held after the 56th POSCO Holdings Annual General Meeting of Shareholders at the POSCO Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the morning of March 21. Photo by Yonhap News

Introducing a Headquarters System to Simplify Decision-Making Steps... Holdings with 6 Headquarters and 1 Institute System

POSCO Group also plans to focus its capabilities on strengthening business competitiveness through organizational restructuring. By streamlining the organization, it aims to speed up decision-making and establish a system that can quickly respond to changes in the internal and external management environment. At the same time, it will reorganize the holding company's strategy and investment functions to strengthen the group's future growth engines.

POSCO Holdings introduced a "headquarters system" to simplify decision-making steps. The existing "general management system (general manager - team - staff)" organization was reorganized into a "headquarters system (headquarters - office)," transitioning to a structure with six headquarters (▲Future Strategy Headquarters ▲Business Synergy Headquarters ▲Finance IR Headquarters ▲Corporate Ethics Headquarters ▲Communication Headquarters ▲Management Support Headquarters) and one institute (Future Technology Research Institute).

The previously dispersed future growth investment functions were consolidated into the "Future Strategy Headquarters," and business management functions into the "Business Synergy Headquarters." To systematically implement carbon neutrality, a "Nuclear Cooperation Promotion TF Team," responsible for nuclear power self-generation and hydrogen production cooperation, and an "India PJT Promotion Team" to accelerate investment in the Indian region were newly established. Additionally, the "Australia Critical Resources Research Institute" was set up locally in Australia to secure key minerals and strengthen raw material supply chains. Lee Joo-tae, head of the Management Strategy Team, was appointed head of the Future Strategy Headquarters, and Cheon Seong-rae, head of the Carbon Neutrality Team, was appointed head of the Business Synergy Headquarters.

To stabilize steel operations, POSCO established the "Blast Furnace Stabilization TF Team" following the "Facility Robustness TF Team" launched last month, and transferred health, safety, and environmental functions directly under the president to strengthen the safety organization.

POSCO International integrated its trading divisions from three headquarters (▲Steel ▲Eco-friendly ▲Food & Bio) into two headquarters (▲Steel ▲Materials & Bio), and consolidated the energy divisions, merging the "Energy Business Development Headquarters" and "Energy Infrastructure Headquarters" into the "Energy Business Development Headquarters" to enhance synergy across the energy value chain.

POSCO E&C integrated the Green Energy Sales Office and Business Office into the "Energy Business Office" to unify orders and business functions in the power and chemical sectors, and established the "Business Structure Innovation TF" responsible for strengthening the portfolio centered on core businesses and advancing order and construction processes.

POSCO Future M integrated the "Energy Materials Research Institute" and "Basic Materials Research Group," transferring them directly under the president to secure technology and strengthen R&D functions, and merged the "Management Planning Headquarters" and "Management Support Headquarters" to slim down the staff organization. POSCO DX abolished the Logistics Automation Promotion Team reflecting business restructuring and is focusing its capabilities on securing DX innovation technology and creating future growth engines.