Seo Jung-jin, Honorary Chairman of Celltrion Group, Receives 'Oscar of the Business World' Award

Contribution to Bioindustry Development... First Korean to Receive EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Seo Jung-jin, Honorary Chairman of Celltrion Group, is taking a commemorative photo after becoming the first Korean to receive the 'EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award' at the ceremony hosted by the accounting firm EY on the 10th (local time). (Photo by EY Han-young)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] Seo Jung-jin, Honorary Chairman of Celltrion Group, became the first Korean to receive the final award at the ‘EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year’ ceremony hosted by EY, one of the global Big Four accounting and consulting firms, on the 10th (local time).

The EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year award is recognized worldwide as the ‘Oscar of the business world’ and is given to business leaders who have driven innovation through relentless challenges and leadership. In particular, this award is given to only one winner among the national ‘EY Entrepreneur Of The Year’ recipients worldwide, making it highly prestigious in the business field globally.

Korea has participated in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year award program since 2007, and Seo Honorary Chairman is the first to receive the highest honor, the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year award. Past recipients of the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year include Mohed Altrad, a Syrian nomad who built the global construction equipment company Altrad Group and is a billionaire from France, and Guy Lalibert?, a Canadian street performer who created the internationally renowned performing arts company Cirque du Soleil.

Seo Honorary Chairman was recognized for his significant contribution to the development of Korea’s bio industry. Celltrion Group independently developed the antibody biosimilar Remsima and became the world’s first to receive approval from global regulatory agencies, growing into a leading global antibody biosimilar company. Additionally, through self-developed products such as Truxima, Herzuma, and RemsimaSC, the company has changed the paradigm of the healthcare industry by treating patients worldwide and has been highly evaluated for growing into a global comprehensive biotechnology company. During the COVID-19 pandemic, as a pharmaceutical bio company fulfilling social responsibility, Celltrion developed the COVID-19 antibody treatment ‘Rekkirona’ and began global supply, demonstrating advanced research and development (R&D) capabilities in the antibody field.

After being announced as the winner, Seo Honorary Chairman said, “Thank you for giving such an honorable award to a Korean company. I believe this honorable moment will be a hope for many young people in Korea and will be a source of support and strength for the future of Korean companies. I would like to express my gratitude on behalf of everyone.” He added, “I will continue to challenge myself to create a better world for future generations.”

Seo Honorary Chairman is regarded as a figure who opened a new horizon for Korea’s bio industry. After graduating from university, he joined Samsung Electro-Mechanics and caught the attention of Kim Woo-joong, Chairman of Daewoo Group at the time, and was surprisingly appointed as the youngest executive of Daewoo Motors at the age of 35. After leaving Daewoo Group in 1999 due to the foreign exchange crisis, Seo Honorary Chairman teamed up with employees he had worked with and founded Celltrion in 2002, growing it into a leading domestic bio company.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.