Current Chairman Chey Tae-Won
Post-graduate studies in Economics, 1983-1989
Educational and Career Highlights
- BA Physics, Korea University (1983)
- Director, SK America (1993-1994)
- Director, Sunkyong Group Management Planning Office (1994-1996)
- Managing Director, Yugong Co., Ltd. and Deputy CEO, SK General Planning Office (1996-1998)
- Chairman, SK Co. Ltd. (1998-2015)
- Director, Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies (2015-present)
- Chairman and CEO, SK Co., Ltd. (2016-present)
- Chairman, Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry (2021-present)
- Chairman, SK Telecom (2022-present)
- Co-Chair of the Bid Committee for World EXPO 2030, Busan, Korea (2022-present)
After studying Economics at the University of Chicago, Chey Tae-won gained hands-on management experience through various positions at SK Group. Following in the footsteps of his father, SK and KFAS founder, Chey Jong-hyon, Chey Tae-won took over management of the group in 1998 and since then has proactively managed SK Group through changing market trends and designed methodologies for the implementation of “Deep Change.”
In a bold move in 2012, Chey Tae-won successfully acquired the semiconductor manufacturing company Hynix. The acquisition is so significant to SK’s growth that the company divides its history into two periods: before and after the acquisition of Hynix. SK Hynix, Inc. currently is SK’s flagship business, maintaining the highest sales and market cap among the group’s companies, and is the second largest global memory semiconductor company in the world.
Around SK Hynix, Chey Tae-won innovated the SK Group’s business portfolio from information and communication technology to semiconductors and high-tech materials, bioscience, batteries, eco-friendly projects, and digital technology. He continues to mobilize corporate influence to change the world and make it more sustainable. Chey Tae-won’s systematic methods have placed him firmly at the forefront of those leading social value and environmental social governance management in Korea.
Chey Tae-won champions ESG management – a business model recognizing that sustainability extends beyond ecological issues and requires holistic understanding and proactive application of environmental, social, and governance criteria. As chairman, Chey Tae-won has implemented significant eco-positive initiatives, such as pivoting the company’s traditional energy companies to focus on renewable energy, launching SK’s innovative Green Campus, and transitioning the company to 100% renewable energy by 2050. These projects grow SK Group’s business while also providing positive global impacts that extend beyond the company.
Social Impact
Like his father, Chey Tae-won listens to a philosophical call to further greater, long-term social goals while leading SK Group and plants seeds for long range social benefits such as continuing active support of KFAS to ensure that Korea’s top students can pursue advanced degrees at top universities around the world. Additionally, as a strategy to protect public land, Chey Tae-won shares his father’s commitment to change Korean burial customs and promotes cremation. In 2010, SK invested heavily in the Milky Way Memorial Park – a funeral facility that has, in part, helped raise cremation rates in Korea to 90%.
