Expansion of C-Level Executives and Strengthened Accountability... SKT CEO Yu Sang-young Leads 'UAM' Initiative

Communication Entrusted to CMO
CEO Yoo Sang-young Goes All In on Future Business

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] Yoo Sang-young, CEO (President·photo) of SK Telecom, who has led SK Telecom's past by overseeing wired and wireless communication businesses, will now focus on new businesses such as Urban Air Mobility (UAM), autonomous vehicles, and robots, which are expected to lead the 'future 10 years' after entrusting the communication business he directly commanded since his appointment in November last year. This move is interpreted as a strategy to hand over the stabilized communication business to his successor and concentrate fully on the future.

Entrusting Communication Business, Taking Charge of New Businesses

According to the telecommunications industry on the 16th, CEO Yoo has strengthened responsible management by making top-level C-level appointments within the company and newly creating the positions of CPO (Chief Product Officer) and CMO (Chief Mobile Officer). The CPO oversees SK Telecom and its affiliates' services, while the CMO is responsible for wired and wireless communication business, 5G sales, and marketing. Both positions are directly under CEO Yoo, who also serves as CCO (Chief Customer Officer). Through this personnel reshuffle, CEO Yoo handed over the wired and wireless communication business he had been managing since 2019 to CMO Lim Bong-ho and CPO Lee Hyun-ah.

An SK Telecom official said, "By entrusting the communication businesses that CEO Yoo had been directly managing since his appointment to the CMO and CPO, this move aims to nurture successors and strengthen responsibility and transparent management. CEO Yoo plans to focus on future growth engines."

CEO Yoo plans to concentrate on discovering future businesses. The area he is most dedicated to is UAM. With the government's roadmap for UAM commercialization by 2025 and fully autonomous flight services by 2030 gaining momentum, SK Telecom believes it can play a key foundational role in the development of the related industry. The 'K-UAM Dream Team,' which SKT belongs to, comprehensively demonstrated its core capabilities in service, infrastructure, aircraft, and research related to UAM, also known as 'air taxis,' through the 'Korean Urban Air Mobility (K-UAM) Airport Demonstration' hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport at Gimpo International Airport last November.

Directly Managing UAM Business

At the end of last year, CEO Yoo launched a CEO-direct task force (TF) and strategically positioned key executives in charge of technology and infrastructure, strategy, business development, and partnerships within the company. CEO Yoo believes that by combining SKT's advanced communication services with the diverse service capabilities of SK Group affiliates, it will be possible to provide UAM reservation, route confirmation, boarding, and all information needed before flight, as well as streaming-based media viewing throughout the process. Last month, CEO Yoo Sang-young visited Joby Aviation, an overseas UAM aircraft manufacturer, with key executives to meet production facilities and top executives in person. SKT and Joby Aviation agreed to form a regular consultative body led by both CEOs to actively cooperate across all areas, including aircraft and service platforms.

CEO Yoo said, "We must actively respond to changes brought by technological innovation and seize opportunities," adding, "We will contemplate what SKT will look like in 10 years and actively pursue the direction of growth."

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