Jang, Jae-hoon, CEO of Hyundai Motor Company[Yonhap News Agency]
Kim Geol, President of Hyundai Motor's Planning and Coordination Office
[Yonhap News Agency]
La Cucina restaurant across from the Haiyat Hotel in Namsan, Seoul
[La Cucina website]
Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung, Eui-sun (54) is closely followed by current CEO Jang, Jae-hoon(60) and President Kim Geol(59).
Aside from the fact that they are alumni of Korea University as chairman Chung, they have contrasting backgrounds, roles, and personalities.
Jang, Jae-hoon, in particular, has an unusual background as a former manager of La Cucina Italian restaurant across the street from Haiyat Hotel in Namsan, Seoul.
BizCheck, a CEO/financial/consumer reporting medium, compares and introduces the personal stories of Mr. Jang, a management expert, and Mr. Kim, a strategic planning expert, for the first time.
It was about 15 years ago in the coffee shop of Haiyat Hotel in Namsan, Seoul. A senior HR executive from Hyundai Motor Company was meeting with a gentleman in his mid-40s who owned an Italian restaurant near the hotel. The gentleman had opened an Italian restaurant called La Cucina(Kitchen in Italian) in Itaewon, Yongsan, Seoul, in the 1990s and had become famous among food lovers.
"Do you have any interest in joining Hyundai Motor Company?"(Hyundai Motor executive)
"Who recommended me?" (Jang, Jae-hoon, current CEO of Hyundai Motor Company)
"(Giving a thumbs up) This is him"(Hyundai executive)
"Ah...I'm interested in joining the company. What kind of position will you offer?"(Mr. Jang)
The executive, who had received a special assignment from then Vice President Chung, Eui-sun to "scout Jang, Jae-hoon" and met with him, was surprised when Jang accepted the offer without much hesitation.
The son of a wealthy family, Jang graduated from Korea University with a degree in history and worked at Samsung Motors before studying abroad in the United States(Master of Business Administration at Boston University) and working as a logistics manager at General Motors in the United States.
While studying in the U.S., he became fascinated with Italian food and opened La Cucina at the entrance of the Haiyat Hotel, which was selected for the Michelin Guide and opened several branches.
It could be argued that he accepted Hyundai's job offer to fulfill his bigger ambitions.
Recognized for his logistics experience at GM, Jang initially joined Hyundai Motor Group as the head of the global business unit of Hyundai Globis.
Recognized for building Globis into a core business, he later moved to Hyundai Motor Company, where he served as head of the Production Development Planning Division, head of the Customer Value and Customer Channel Service Division, and head of the HR Division.
When Chairman Chung took the helm of Hyundai Motor Company, he assumed the role of Vice President of Management Support, and was promoted to President in 2020.
He worked his way up through the ranks of purchasing, production, sales, and human resources management. The only thing he didn't experience was financial management.
Today, he is known as the 'right-hand man' of Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung, Eui-sun. Together with Kim Geol (59), president of the Planning and Coordination Office, they are the two-headed horse leading Hyundai Motor after the retirement of Chairman Emeritus Chung, Mong-koo.
Chairman Chung(54) is an '1989 entered graduate of Korea University. Jang, Jae-hoon(History, KU) and Kim Geol (German Literature, KU) graduated from the same Anam-dong KU.
Compared to the situation under Chairman Chung, Mong-koo, when Hyundai Engineering and Hanyang University graduates occupied key positions, such academic connections cannot be ignored at Hyundai Motor Group.
"However, at Hyundai, the HR department emphasizes ability rather than academic connections, so I don't think Chairman Chung is deliberately hiring people from Korea University graduates."
This is according to a Hyundai executive.
Mr. Kim is known as "JaeGalGongMyong" at Hyundai Motor. He is known for his work on electric vehicles and artificial intelligence(AI), mergers and acquisitions (M&A) of overseas companies, and stock price management by informing domestic and foreign investors of Hyundai's global value. He is also in charge of government affairs, responding to domestic and international policy issues such as the IRS(Inflation Reduction Act).
While Jang, Jae-hoon is in charge of making and selling cars, Kim is in charge of supporting Hyundai Motor Group's management.
It is interesting to note that Jang is known as Chairman Chung, Eui-sun's "right-hand man," while Kim is his "left-hand man.
Apart from the fact that they both come from the same university, they have contrasting backgrounds, roles.
While Jung is an expert in management and sales, Kim is an accomplished strategic planner. The difference between external and internal talent is also an example of Chairman Chung's tolerance. Organizations need to be open to the outside world in order to create tension and internal competition. Whether it is a company or a country, it has been proven through history.
But who will be the second-in-command at Hyundai last?
We will focus on this issue in the next series.
When you are successful, envy, jealousy, intrigue, and fighting are all around you. It is difficult to stay by the owner's side through all this.
By Chung, Goo-hak
ghchung@naver.com
저작권자 ⓒ 비즈체크, 무단 전재 및 재배포 금지