CEO Appointments Made for 2026
Regular Executive Promotions to Follow
On October 17, CJ Group announced that it has appointed Yoon Seokhwan, Head of the BIO Division, as the new CEO of CJ CheilJedang, and Lee Geonil, CEO of CJ Freshway, as the new CEO of CJ Foodville. Both executives will concurrently hold their current positions as Head of the BIO Division and CEO of CJ Freshway, respectively.
CJ Group plans to depart from its previous practice of integrating CEO appointments, executive promotions, and organizational restructuring for each affiliate into a single regular personnel announcement. Instead, the group will first appoint CEOs under its direct initiative, followed by separate personnel changes led by the CEOs of each affiliate. The aim is to proactively place the right CEOs to lead growth in each business sector, enabling the early confirmation of short-term business plans and mid-term strategies, thereby preparing for the future and strengthening responsible management.
Yoon Seokhwan, CEO of CJ CheilJedang and Head of the BIO Division, Lee Geonil, CEO of CJ Freshway and CEO of CJ Foodville (from left). CJ Group
Yoon Seokhwan, the newly appointed CEO of CJ CheilJedang, has demonstrated his capabilities in various areas, including global business operations, strategy, and R&D, having previously served as Head of BIO Business in South America, Head of Global Marketing for BIO, and Head of the BIO Technology Research Institute. Since 2023, he has led the BIO Division, and based on his achievements and strategic management insights, he has been selected as the right person to oversee CJ CheilJedang. Kang Shinho, the outgoing CEO who was the first executive vice president at CJ Group to rise from an open recruitment position, has expressed his intention to step down due to health reasons, which the company accepted, leading to the appointment of a new CEO.
CJ Foodville will now be jointly led by Lee Geonil, CEO of CJ Freshway. Lee, who also joined CJ CheilJedang through open recruitment, has held several key positions, including Head of the Twosome Division at CJ Foodville, CEO of CJ Foods USA at CJ CheilJedang, and Head of Business Management Division 1 at CJ Corporation. As CJ Foodville, led by Tous Les Jours, reaches a pivotal moment for global business growth, Lee's extensive experience in the food business and his capabilities in global and business structure innovation are expected to be highly effective.
To maintain consistency in business strategy and enhance execution for future growth, most affiliate CEOs will remain in their current positions, centered around the existing leadership structure of the group and each company. Additionally, the regular executive appointments for 2026, focused on the promotion of new management leaders, will be conducted as a follow-up. By appointing new CEOs and rapidly placing talent to drive change and innovation, the group aims to quickly lay the foundation for future growth.
A CJ Group representative stated, "We have proactively made CEO appointments to strengthen responsible management as part of our efforts to drive full-scale global growth and prepare for the future."
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