[Exclusive] Hanssem Recruits Former Kurly Executive and Overhauls Organization

Executive from Kurly recruited
"Will lead quality innovation"
"New faces" placed at the forefront under the IMM regime

Hanssem is undergoing a comprehensive transformation of its organizational structure and identity by recruiting executives from outside the company and implementing a large-scale organizational restructuring. Since being acquired by IMM Private Equity (PE) in 2021, the company has been moving away from its traditional "old boy (OB)-centric" system, instead focusing on organizational reorganization by placing new faces with expertise and execution capabilities at the forefront.

Hanssem Sangam Building. Hanssem

Executive from Kurly Recruited..."Will Lead Quality Innovation"

According to industry sources on August 19, Hanssem recently recruited Cho Wonki, former Head of Strategic Operations at Kurly, as Executive Director and Head of the Integrated Quality Division. Executive Director Cho previously worked at global companies such as Dell Technologies and Amazon Web Services (AWS), handling strategy and operations before joining Kurly in 2020, where he was responsible for supply chain management (SCM), risk management, and overall commerce strategy operations. Hanssem stated, "Executive Director Cho is a talented individual with extensive experience in distribution and quality at both global companies and domestic unicorns," adding, "We expect him to lead data-driven quality management and customer-centric innovation."

The Integrated Quality Division, led by Executive Director Cho, is a key organization newly established in this restructuring. By bringing together the product, construction supervision, customer center, and after-sales service (AS) teams, the company aims to unify its quality management system and quickly reflect on-site feedback. The company explained, "This organization was established to create a consistent quality management system across all products and services."

Since the beginning of this year, Hanssem has been streamlining its non-core businesses, such as integrating the AS division of its subsidiary Hanssem Development into the headquarters and discontinuing its building management business. The intention is to simultaneously achieve organizational efficiency and strengthen customer-facing functions. Hanssem has reinforced its headquarters by adding the Management Support Division and the Integrated Quality Division to its previous eight-division structure. The Strategic Planning Office has been absorbed into the Management Support Division, while customer experience (CX)-related departments have been integrated into the Integrated Quality Division. Through these changes, the company aims to pursue quality improvements that customers can directly experience throughout the entire service process.

"New Faces" Deployed After IMM Takeover

Hanssem's transformation is particularly evident in its personnel makeup. In the past, the executive team was composed mainly of OBs with over 20 years of service. However, since the acquisition by IMM PE, the replacement of executives through external recruitment has proceeded rapidly. Currently, there are no executives at the executive director level or above who have remained since before the IMM acquisition. With the recent departure of Executive Director Lee Changwook, who led the China branch, the generational shift has been effectively completed. Under the IMM system, Hanssem has abandoned its previous personnel management approach and shifted to placing externally recruited professionals with specialized experience at the forefront.

Hanssem's changes are not limited to a generational shift among executives. Over the three years since the IMM PE acquisition, more than 550 employees have left the company, resulting in a company-wide workforce restructuring. The number of employees, which stood at 2,540 in the first year of the acquisition, had dropped to 1,993 as of the end of June. This reduction in workforce and organizational restructuring is attributed to both the contraction of the furniture market and poor business performance. Operating profit plummeted from 69.3 billion won in 2021 to 31.2 billion won last year, while sales decreased from 2.2312 trillion won to 1.9083 trillion won over the same period, marking a halt in growth.

Hanssem plans to continue pursuing strategies to strengthen competitiveness across all business areas, including Rehaus and home furnishing. Based on this organizational restructuring, the company aims to improve quality at every customer touchpoint, enhance the customer experience, and strengthen the brand's desirability. A Hanssem representative stated, "With this organizational restructuring, we will unify our quality management system, immediately reflect on-site feedback, and achieve quality improvements that customers can truly feel."