Hong Min-taek, CPO, Service Expert and Former CEO of Toss Bank
Kakao has carried out an organizational restructuring to consolidate the capabilities of its core businesses, KakaoTalk and artificial intelligence (AI) services. Various business areas based on KakaoTalk have been integrated to establish a Chief Product Officer (CPO) organization, and the AI organizations, which were previously divided into technology and service sectors, have been unified.
According to Kakao on the 27th, key businesses related to KakaoTalk, such as technology, advertising, commerce, and design, have been integrated into the CPO organization. This strategy aims to maximize synergy between KakaoTalk and various services and accelerate user-centered innovation. Based on this organizational restructuring, Kakao plans to actively promote the business growth of KakaoTalk.
The newly established CPO organization will be led by Hong Min-taek, who previously served as CEO of Toss Bank. CPO Hong graduated with a bachelor's and master's degree in Industrial Engineering from KAIST and earned an MBA from INSEAD in France. As the inaugural CEO of Toss Bank, he is a service expert who achieved milestones such as pioneering new markets, turning the business structure profitable, and reaching 10 million customers. CPO Hong is expected to focus on strengthening the growth momentum of KakaoTalk based on his expertise.
Jung Sin-ah, CEO of Kakao, is attending and presenting at the 'Kakao Media Day' held on the 4th at Plaza Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung
The AI organization has also been restructured. 'KananaX' and 'KananaAlpha', which were responsible for AI services and development respectively, have been integrated into a single organization called 'Kanana'. This is to accelerate the popularization of AI by quickly launching services through organic collaboration across areas. The Kanana organization will be jointly led by Performance Leaders Kim Byung-hak, who led KananaAlpha, and Kim Jong-han, who has been leading the development of Kakao’s core services. Meanwhile, an AI Studio has been newly established to create opportunities for new AI businesses and collaboration foundations, enhancing synergy with partners including OpenAI.
Jung Shin-ah, CEO of Kakao, stated, "Last year, Kakao focused on resolving technical debt and securing business competitiveness to strengthen fundamentals and core values." She added, "Building on those achievements, this year we will actively promote business growth centered on our two core businesses, KakaoTalk and AI."
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