Hyundai Motor Group carried out personnel moves focused on strengthening research and development (R&D) and core technology competitiveness to speed its shift to a software-centered mobility corporations. The plan is to overhaul its fundamentals through large-scale leadership changes and secure opportunities for future reinvestment by streamlining the organization.
Hyundai Motor Group said on the 18th that Manfred Harrer, Deputy Minister of R&D, and Vice President Jeong Jun-cheol, head of manufacturing, were each promoted to president through executive appointments.
Since joining Hyundai Motor Group last year, President Harrer has led improvements in vehicles' fundamental performance. He was credited with making major contributions in a short time to establishing the unique brand identity of Hyundai Motor and Kia. A Hyundai Motor Group official said, "President Harrer will further enhance R&D-level technological competitiveness for the success of software-defined vehicles (SDV) through active collaboration with all related areas, including software."
In addition, Hyundai Motor Group plans to name a successor soon to Song Chang-hyun, president of the Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division, who resigned on the 5th. Based on the SDV development strategy built under Song's leadership, the group decided to push ahead as planned with next-generation development projects to mass-produce SDV core technologies.
In hardware, Vice President Jeong Jun-cheol, who heads manufacturing, was promoted to president. The move aims to further strengthen manufacturing competitiveness and accelerate the buildout of software-defined factories (SDF). Jeong oversees the Manufacturing Solutions Division, which is responsible for finished-vehicle production technology, and the Purchasing Division, a core of profitability and supply chain management. With the promotion, Jeong plans to focus on establishing a software-centered future production system and building the group's next-generation production systems, including Robotics.
A new head of domestic production, who also serves as chief safety and health officer, was appointed to oversee Hyundai Motor's plants in Korea. Choi Young-il, executive director at the Hyundai Engineering Center with deep expertise in manufacturing engineering, was promoted and appointed as vice president and tasked with reorganizing the organization into a technology-centered factory. It is a post that must solidify the status and technological prowess of the domestic plants, the mother factories of Hyundai Motor Group.
Performance-based appointments were also made. Vice President Yoon Seung-gyu, head of Kia's North America region, was promoted to president. Yoon was recognized for boosting Kia's global standing by achieving more than 8% year-over-year growth in retail sales despite a tough competitive environment. Yoon previously served as head of the Americas office at headquarters and as head of the U.S. and Canada sales subsidiaries, and is a sales expert with business expertise and insight into the North American market.
Some heads of Hyundai Motor Group affiliates also changed. At Hyundai Steel, Vice President Lee Bo-ryong, head of production, will be promoted and appointed as the new CEO. The new chief is regarded as having not only engineering expertise in R&D but also experience overseeing steel operations, based on more than 30 years in the steel industry. A Hyundai Motor Group official said, "By consistently pushing strategic large-scale facility and technology investments, he is the right person to strengthen Hyundai Steel's future competitiveness."
Cho Chang-hyun, CEO of Hyundai Card, and Jeon Si-woo, CEO of Hyundai Commercial, were both promoted to vice president. They were recognized for delivering results through stable crisis management capabilities despite an unfavorable business environment.
Seo Gang-hyun, who has served as CEO of Hyundai Steel since 2023, will move in this round of appointments to lead group planning and coordination, spearheading optimization across group companies. Vice Chairman Jang Jae-hoon, who had concurrently served as head of planning and coordination, will lead groupwide efforts to raise synergy and execute swiftly to secure future businesses and technologies. Jang will oversee related areas with the goal of coordinating the overall direction of the group's core future businesses in mobility, hydrogen energy, and Robotics, and fostering organic links among businesses.
A total of 219 people were promoted in this Hyundai Motor Group personnel round. In addition to four promotions to president, there were 14 to vice president, 25 to executive director, and 176 new appointments to senior manager. Compared with 239 promotions last year, the number fell by 20.
The selection of executives in their 40s is also drawing attention. Ji Sung-won (47, photo), executive director and head of Hyundai Motor brand marketing, was tapped as a vice president in his 40s. Among new senior manager appointees, the share in their 40s has risen sharply, from 24% in 2020 to nearly half this year. As a result, the average starting age for senior managers entered the 40s for the first time this year. Among senior managers born in the 1980s, a total of 12 were chosen, including Jo Beom-su (42), head of Hyundai Motor exterior design, and Kwon Hye-ryeong (45), head of the plant engineering sales team at Hyundai E&C.
The personnel philosophy centered on technical talent also continued. Nearly 30% of all promotees were selected and promoted from R&D and key technology fields. Talent selection focused on areas directly linked to the group's core future strategies, including Senior Manager Seo Jeong-hun (47), head of battery design, and Senior Manager Kim Deok-hwan (48), head of Hydrogen Fuel Cell design 1.
Meanwhile, as head of HMG Research Institute, the think tank for Hyundai Motor Group, Shin Yong-seok (photo), a professor of economics at Washington University in St. Louis in the United States, was hired as a vice president. Shin is one of the most influential economists in global academia in macroeconomics, economic growth, and convergent research. He is expected to provide strategic insights within Hyundai Motor Group going forward.