Samsung has made history by appointing a woman from outside its founding family as the CEO of one of its companies for the first time in its 86-year history. Kim Kyung-Ah has been named the president and CEO of Samsung Bioepis Co, according to Bloomberg.
Kim’s appointment is part of a broader leadership reshuffle at Samsung and reflects gradual progress in promoting gender diversity within the company.
While South Korea has seen improvements, women still face challenges in the corporate world. In 2023, women made up only 10% of board members in 269 large listed companies, according to CEOScore, a Seoul-based consultancy. This is an increase from 3% in 2019 and 6.9% in 2021, helped by a 2020 law requiring gender diversity on corporate boards.
Despite these changes, South Korea still has the largest wage gap among developed countries, according to the OECD. Kim’s promotion is seen as a step forward for greater inclusion in the future.
Who is Kim Kyung-Ah?
Kim Kyung-Ah, 56, holds a doctorate in neurotoxicology from Johns Hopkins University, where she studied the effects of chemicals and biological agents on the nervous system. She has over 20 years of experience in biologic development and joined Samsung Bioepis in 2015, playing a key role in product innovations.
Before joining Bioepis, Kim worked at the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, the company’s research and development division, as a principal scientist and later as vice president, focusing on developing antibody treatments for cancer.
Kim is the second woman to lead a Samsung affiliate, following Lee Boo-jin, the granddaughter of Samsung’s founder Lee Byung-chull and CEO of Hotel Shilla Co.
