Kim Kyung-Ah’s appointment as Samsung Bioepis comes amid a wider management shakeup at Samsung and highlights a gradual increase in gender diversity within the South Korean company.
Kim Kyung Ah. (Photo Credit: Samsung BioApps Portal)
Samsung has marked a historic milestone by appointing a woman from outside its founding family as the chief executive officer of a group company for the first time in its 86-year history. The group has named Kim Kyung-Ah as president and CEO of Samsung Bioepis Co. Bloomberg.
Kim’s appointment comes amid a wider management shakeup at Samsung and highlights gradual progress in gender diversity at the South Korean giant.
Despite advances in education, women face significant barriers in South Korea’s corporate culture. According to Seoul-based consultancy CEOScore, by 2023, women will make up only 10 percent of board members at 269 major listed companies. This marks an improvement from 3 percent in 2019 and 6.9 percent in 2021, following legislative revisions mandating gender diversity on corporate boards in 2020.
Still, South Korea is the developed country with the highest wage gap, as reported by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Kim’s progress serves as a glimmer of hope for greater inclusion in the future.
Who is Kim Kyung Ah?
Kim Kyung-ah, 56, holds a doctorate in neurotoxicology from Johns Hopkins University, specializing in the effects of chemical and biological agents on the nervous system. With more than two decades of experience in biologics development, Kim joined Samsung Bioepis in 2015 and has since played a key role in its product innovation.
Prior to his time at Bioepis, he worked at Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, the company’s research and development arm, as principal scientist and later as vice president. His focus included the development of antibody therapies for oncology.
The granddaughter of late Samsung founder Lee Byung-chil and the only CEO of a Samsung-affiliated company since Lee Bo-jin, CEO of Hotel Sheila Co. The other is a woman.