"Year of the Rabbit, My Year" Distribution Industry CEOs Born in the Year of the Rabbit in Focus

Chairman Son Kyung-sik, Chairman Seo Kyung-bae, Vice Chairman Kim Sang-hyun, and others
Wise and Intelligent Rabbit Zodiac Leaders Expected to Show Strong Crisis Response Skills

As we enter the "Year of the Black Rabbit," CEOs born in the Year of the Rabbit who lead the distribution industry are gaining attention. Rabbit-born individuals are known for their wisdom and agility, quickly adapting to their surroundings. In 2023, amid deep concerns over an economic downturn and increased management uncertainties, the response strategies of Rabbit-born CEOs are drawing interest.

According to the distribution industry on the 3rd, prominent Rabbit-born executives include Son Kyung-sik, Chairman of CJ Group (Chairman of the Korea Employers Federation), Suh Kyung-bae, Chairman of Amorepacific Group, Kim Sang-hyun, Vice Chairman and Head of Lotte Distribution HQ, Lee Jung-ae, President of LG Household & Health Care, Yoon Geun-chang, CEO of Fila Holdings, and Ahn Jung-eun, CEO of 11st.

Among those born in 1939, the eldest in the business world is Chairman Son Kyung-sik. He led the spin-off of Cheil Jedang from Samsung Group as Vice Chairman in 1993. After serving as Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he has been the Chairman of the Korea Employers Federation since 2018. Kwon Won-gang, Chairman of Kyochon F&B, born in 1951, recently returned to the front lines of management. Having stepped down in 2019, Kwon returned as chairman in December last year, expressing his commitment to responsible management amid domestic and international economic crises.

Representatives born in 1963 include Chairman Suh Kyung-bae, Vice Chairman Kim Sang-hyun, and President Lee Jung-ae. Suh Kyung-bae, the second son of Suh Sung-hwan, founder of Taepyeongyang (now Amorepacific Group), joined Taepyeongyang in 1987, served as head of the Planning and Coordination Office, and became CEO in 1997. At the end of last year, he was listed as the Rabbit-born shareholder with the largest stock assets, valued at approximately 2.384 trillion KRW. This year, he plans to focus on performance recovery through customized cosmetics and digital transformation.

Vice Chairman Kim Sang-hyun was the first non-Lotte member to lead the distribution division amid Lotte's efforts to break its pure-blood tradition. A distribution expert who previously led Korea P&G and Homeplus, Kim is entering his second year and is expected to actively pursue results with the goal of "making Lotte the number one in distribution again."

President Lee Jung-ae, who became LG Group's first female CEO in the year-end personnel reshuffle last year, is an expert who has experienced all business divisions of LG Household & Health Care, including daily necessities, luxury cosmetics, and beverage sectors. A public recruitment employee of LG Group (formerly Lucky), she rose to the president position after 36 years with the company. She is expected to focus her capabilities on strengthening LG Household & Health Care, which is facing a management crisis after experiencing negative growth for the first time since 2005.

Among those born in 1975 are CEO Yoon Geun-chang of Fila Holdings and Co-CEO Ahn Jung-eun of 11st. Ahn Jung-eun, who took the helm of 11st at the end of last year, plans to focus on business performance and strengthening differentiated competitiveness. Taking on a key role amid a slowdown in the e-commerce industry's growth rate, Ahn will lead the execution of "11st 2.0" and work toward performance recovery. Yoon Geun-chang, eldest son of Fila Holdings Chairman Yoon Yoon-soo, is expected to accelerate efforts to make Fila a global leading sports brand in line with the five-year mid- to long-term growth strategy announced last year.

Rabbit-born owner-managers currently receiving management training include Kim Seung-beom, Executive Director of F&F, born in 1987, and Hong Won-pyo, Director of E-Land.

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