Walking the Untrodden Path: SK Inno Tackles the Complex Supply Chain Equation Together

I Bok-hee, Outside Director of SK Innovation
Worked at Global Chemical Companies like Dow and DuPont

SK Innovation, Walking the 'Untrodden Path,' Will Achieve Win-Win
"I Want to Contribute to the Decarbonization Transition"

Female CEO Achieving Results in Supply Chain Management
"I Will Contemplate the Complex Equation Together"

Lee Bok-hee, Outside Director of SK Innovation. Photo by SK Innovation

"It was more challenging to achieve results as one team within a company full of numerous talents than the difficulties arising from gender differences. Overcoming competition with other companies and surviving in the market was also tough. In a global market that respects diversity, it is important to create the essence of competitiveness."

Lee Bok-hee, an outside director of SK Innovation and CEO of Romandhas Electronic Materials CMP Korea under the global chemical company DuPont Group, described her experience in the global chemical industry this way. She rose to the position of CEO in a global company within the chemical industry, where female talent is scarce. Lee emphasized the need for a culture of mutual respect and collaboration within organizations, rather than focusing on individual conditions such as gender or race. "I believe the organizations I have been part of achieved results not through my individual abilities, but through understanding and accepting others."

Lee is an engineer. She graduated from the Department of Chemistry at Pusan National University and earned a master's degree in the same field from KAIST. She also completed an MBA program at Ajou University. After working for seven and a half years in research and development (R&D) at Samsung General Chemicals, she joined Dow in 2001. Starting as a quality control manager, she went on to become a manufacturing and product engineering manager. She gained experience in various fields, from R&D to supply chain management, manufacturing processes, and quality control.

As someone also involved in management, she emphasizes the voice from the field. "While it is important to understand and analyze various reports and management indicators seen in the office, I believe it is even more crucial to know how our products are received by customers on-site and what impact they have. After all, the numbers and texts seen in the office are ultimately based on the field."

Lee Bok-hee, Outside Director of SK Innovation. Photo by SK Innovation

Lee is a peer in the same industry as SK Innovation. Although there were no directly competing products or technologies, she has observed SK Innovation's changes and growth within the same industry. "'Oil,' the traditional energy sector, could have provided stable profits alone, but SK Innovation's history was not like that. As someone in the same industry, I have witnessed that history," said Lee, explaining why she accepted the position of outside director at SK Innovation. She added, "My long experience working at overseas companies can help SK Innovation pursue global decarbonization," and noted, "Decarbonization is not just a problem for one company but a challenge for the global community."

She expressed her willingness to contribute to the success of SK Innovation's 'Carbon to Green' strategy, calling it an 'uncharted path.' Lee said, "Globally, the eco-friendly business sector is an unknown path where no one has achieved 100% success. Many countries and companies are experiencing trial and error, but there is no way to succeed without failure." She continued, "I hope my role as an outside director at SK Innovation, which is walking this unknown path, will be an opportunity for mutual benefit."

During her time at Dow, Lee achieved results in quality improvement and cost reduction related to the global raw material supply chain. She stated, "Securing raw materials is very important for the sustainability of companies and national economies," and assessed, "Especially for Korea, which lacks natural resources and depends heavily on imports, risk management is even more critical." She added, "Energy, chemicals, and batteries, the core businesses of SK Innovation affiliates, bear supply chain risks," and said, "I will work together to help SK Innovation members solve this complex equation."

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