Landowners and Banks Implement Organizational Restructuring and Executive Personnel Changes
Lee Jae-geun Appointed Head of Global Division, Lee Chang-kwon Head of Digital Division
Consumer Protection Reorganized into CEO-Direct C-Level Organization... Financial AI Centers Expanded to Two
Banks Restructure and Appoint Personnel Focused on Three Keywords: Ethical Management, Streamlining, and AI Utilization
Balancing Uncertainty with Management Efficiency and Innovative Growth... New Executives Born in 1980 Selected
KB Financial Group announced on the 26th that it has conducted a regular organizational restructuring and executive appointments based on the group's three major principles of organizational management: ▲ a win-win organization that works together with customers and society ▲ an efficient organization focused on essentials ▲ an innovative organization for future growth. Lee Jae-geun, the current CEO of KB Kookmin Bank, moved to the position of Head of Global Division at KB Financial Group, and Lee Chang-kwon, the current CEO of KB Kookmin Card, also moved to the position of Head of Digital and IT Division at the holding company.
KB Financial Group first strengthened its consumer protection organization to protect customers and enhance customer value amid increasing uncertainty in the financial environment. The division-level organization under the Compliance Officer was expanded and reorganized into a Consumer Protection Officer (C-level) directly under the CEO. The roles of internal control organizations within the holding company and affiliates were restructured, and the department name was unified to ‘Compliance Promotion Department’ to pursue more systematic and close internal control efficiency.
To secure competitiveness in the digital finance era, the digital and AI organizations were also strengthened. A new ‘Digital Innovation Department’ was established as the control tower for all areas of digital platforms, artificial intelligence (AI), and data. The Digital Innovation Department supports the comprehensive strategy formulation for group-wide digital initiatives and facilitates organic collaboration among affiliates. Additionally, to secure differentiated AI capabilities and actively integrate generative AI into business, the Financial AI Center was expanded into two centers.
Next, to implement an execution-focused efficient organization, the division and department system was strengthened, and organizational slimming was carried out. While maintaining the division and department executive system that realizes responsibility management by executives, strategically important divisions such as Global Business, Digital, and IT were assigned division heads who are former affiliate CEOs to strengthen the holding company’s control tower role.
Furthermore, the holding company’s AI Headquarters and DT Headquarters were integrated into the ‘AI and Digital Headquarters’ to strengthen the linkage between the two areas. Affiliates simplified their organizational structures overall, adhering to the principle of slimming down management support organizations except for sales organizations. As a result, the holding company’s organization will change from ‘3 divisions, 7 departments (including Compliance Officer), 6 headquarters, 30 departments’ to ‘3 divisions, 8 departments (including Compliance Officer), 4 headquarters, 31 departments’ starting next year. The number of divisions remains three, while the number of departments and departments increased by one each, and the number of headquarters decreased by two.
KB Kookmin Bank Implements Organizational Restructuring... ‘Integrity Sales’, ‘Slimming’, ‘AI Utilization’
Additionally, KB Kookmin Bank carried out its 2025 organizational restructuring with three key themes: ‘Integrity Sales’, ‘Slimming’, and ‘AI Utilization’. A dedicated organization for continuous monitoring and accountability management was separately established under the Compliance Officer to further tighten the prevention of financial accidents and internal control management system, while strengthening the management’s responsibility related to internal control. The role of regional group representatives, who represent the sales branch sites, was shifted to focus on expanding the customer base and integrity sales, and a new internal control indicator was added to the personnel evaluation criteria to emphasize the role of integrity sales-oriented leaders.
The headquarters organization was also boldly slimmed down. The existing structure of 31 headquarters and 139 departments was drastically reduced to 27 headquarters and 117 departments, improving the efficiency of management and support work organizations within the headquarters and strengthening organizational restructuring. To provide higher quality financial services to customers in line with the changing sales environment, regional headquarters directly managed by the headquarters will operate in key areas such as Yeouido, Gwanghwamun, and Gangnam. Additionally, to provide specialized and in-depth corporate financial services to small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners, dedicated SME branch managers will be newly assigned to major sales branches.
Meanwhile, the specialized organization for AI utilization in the financial sector was expanded. As generative AI and other AI applications in the financial sector become more active, the existing Financial AI Center was expanded and reorganized into Center 1 and Center 2, and the development of WM and RM Agents to be practically applied in customer asset management and corporate financial services will be accelerated. Furthermore, to strengthen consumer protection, which is becoming increasingly important in the digital era, the Consumer Protection Group was placed directly under the bank president, and organizational restructuring was also carried out to improve the global management system.
Focusing on Management Efficiency and Innovative Growth While Preparing for Uncertainty... New Executives Born in the 1980s Appointed
Along with the organizational restructuring, KB Financial Group also conducted executive appointments for the new management team to lead the group next year. Considering the accountability structure being fully implemented and the increasing uncertainty in the internal and external management environment, emphasis was placed on appointing the best candidates with expertise and capabilities. The main personnel directions included ▲ placing experts in the right positions by field ▲ expanding affiliate exchanges to secure diversity within the organization ▲ moving current affiliate CEOs to holding company division heads to ensure continuity in management capabilities.
In the current situation where the domestic economy is declining and the high exchange rate is making the management environment difficult, the proven capable executives will be retained to strengthen preparedness for uncertainty, and the group plans to lead ‘efficient management’ and ‘innovative growth,’ which are the group’s mid- to long-term strategic directions, through ‘right person in the right place’ placement considering the recruitment of excellent talents and expertise from affiliates.
In addition, efforts were made to pursue change by securing diversity within the organization and enhancing vitality through expanded exchanges of executives from non-bank affiliates such as securities and asset management. In particular, to utilize the verified management capabilities of affiliate CEOs at the group level and to ensure continuity in core business promotion, Lee Jae-geun, the current CEO of KB Kookmin Bank, was moved to Head of Global Division, and Lee Chang-kwon, CEO of KB Kookmin Card, was moved to Head of Digital and IT Division.
KB Kookmin Bank focused on ▲ appointing proven outstanding talents based on meritocracy ▲ generational change for a young and dynamic KB ▲ strengthening AI competitiveness through external talent recruitment in this personnel appointment. To prepare for an uncertain management environment, KB Kookmin Bank appointed executives who have consistently demonstrated performance and capabilities based on meritocratic personnel principles. Talents with sales field experience were favored to realize the ‘sales and customer-centered philosophy,’ and among the 21 new executives, 20 (95.2%) were born in the 1970s, with new executives born in the 1980s appointed, laying the foundation for a young and dynamic KB.
Additionally, to strengthen AI competitiveness, external experts with practical experience and development capabilities were recruited as executives. Kim Byung-jip, Executive Director and Head of Financial AI Center 1, born in 1980, is a former LG AI Senior Researcher with expertise and extensive field experience in innovative technologies such as generative AI and advanced technology development. Lee Kyung-jong, Executive Director and Head of Financial AI Center 2, born in 1978, was also recruited externally from NCSoft.
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