BNK Financial Group Appoints CEOs for 5 Subsidiaries... Seeking Organizational Stability and Change Simultaneously

Reappointment of Busan Bank CEO and Replacement at Gyeongnam Bank
Maintaining a Balance Between Stability and Innovation
Strengthened External Verification and Diverse Talent Selection
Emphasis on a Fair Succession Process

BNK Financial Group (Chairman Bin Dae-in) held a subsidiary CEO candidate recommendation committee meeting and recommended the final CEO candidates for five affiliates: Busan Bank, Gyeongnam Bank, BNK Capital, BNK Asset Management, and BNK Credit Information.

This recommendation was made with consideration for balancing organizational stability and innovation, maintaining existing leadership to strengthen trust while appointing new figures where change was needed to promote transformation and innovation.

Following the confirmation of Kim Young-moon’s reappointment as CEO of BNK Savings Bank last December, BNK Financial Group balanced its CEO appointments by deciding on reappointments for three of the six major affiliates and new appointments for the other three.

In particular, Busan Bank and Gyeongnam Bank, which serve as the core pillars of the group, adopted different strategies. Busan Bank prioritized organizational continuity and stability by confirming the reappointment of President Bang Seong-bin, while Gyeongnam Bank sought change and innovation by appointing Deputy President Kim Tae-han as the new leader.

Bang Seong-bin, President of Busan Bank.

Busan Bank recently achieved success in the competition to secure the Busan City treasury and continues to show stable growth, with net income for 2024 increasing by 20.2% compared to the previous year. To sustain this momentum, the reappointment of President Bang Seong-bin was decided, aiming to maintain the existing management policy while further strengthening internal stability.

Candidate Kim Tae-han for President of Gyeongnam Bank.

On the other hand, with President Ye Gyeong-tak deciding to retire to pave the way for junior employees, Gyeongnam Bank decided to bring change to the organization through new leadership. Candidate Kim Tae-han, born in 1969, is regarded as a young and innovative figure. He is also recognized as a credit expert within the bank. Having experienced various departments including the credit review department, he has a deep understanding of Gyeongnam Bank’s internal affairs and was recommended as the right person to discover new growth engines.

Kim Sung-joo, CEO of BNK Capital.

BNK Capital’s CEO Kim Seong-ju was reappointed. Prior to serving as CEO of BNK Capital, Kim also led BNK Credit Information, accumulating extensive experience in various financial businesses within the group. His stable management capabilities were recognized, leading to his reappointment.

For BNK Asset Management, candidate Seong Gyeong-sik, former President of BNK Investment & Securities, was recommended. Seong has built deep understanding and expertise in asset management through his experience in various capital markets and investment-related departments within the group. He is expected to focus on strategically growing BNK Asset Management going forward.

Candidate Kyung-sik Sung, CEO of BNK Asset Management (former President of BNK Investment & Securities).

Candidate Shin Tae-su, former Deputy President of Gyeongnam Bank, was appointed as CEO of BNK Credit Information. Previously, this position was mainly held by individuals from Busan Bank, but this appointment reflects an intention to balance opportunities within the group and provide growth platforms for diverse talents by selecting someone from Gyeongnam Bank.

Candidate Shin Tae-su, CEO of BNK Credit Information (former Deputy Head of Gyeongnam Bank).

BNK Financial Group prioritized fairness and objectivity throughout the CEO candidate recommendation process. Actively reflecting the Financial Supervisory Service’s ‘Best Practices in Corporate Governance,’ the process was conducted fairly according to the group’s own ‘Management Succession Program’ aimed at advancing governance. Since officially launching the subsidiary CEO succession procedure last December, the process involved five meetings with strict verification, including keeping candidates confidential for rigorous evaluation.

In particular, the CEO candidate verification process applied various evaluation methods such as recommendations from external advisory institutions, document screening, interviews, and reputation checks. Through this, candidates’ leadership, management vision, expertise, and integrity were comprehensively verified to ensure fairness.

Additionally, the executive candidate recommendation committees of Busan Bank and Gyeongnam Bank actively participated in the holding company’s committee, sufficiently reflecting internal opinions from the affiliates. The chairman of Busan Bank’s recommendation committee directly attended the interviews for the Busan Bank CEO candidates, and the chairman of Gyeongnam Bank’s committee expressed opinions at a prior meeting before the interviews, playing a role in ensuring fair CEO recommendations.

A BNK Financial Group official stated, “The committee members prioritized transparency and trust throughout the affiliate CEO recommendation process,” adding, “We will secure both organizational stability and growth momentum through balanced personnel decisions that consider the characteristics of each affiliate.”

Finally, the recommended CEO candidates will be finalized through each affiliate’s recommendation committee and board of directors, and officially appointed through the shareholders’ meeting to begin their terms.