CJ Group said on the 17th that it carried out its regular executive appointments for 2026.
According to CJ Group, Yoon Seok-hwan, head of the bio business division, was appointed CEO of CJ CheilJedang. Lee Geon-il, CEO of CJ Freshway, was appointed CEO of CJ Foodville. The two will each concurrently serve as heads of the existing bio business division and CEO of CJ Freshway.
New CJ CheilJedang CEO Yoon Seok-hwan has proven capabilities across various fields, including global business operations and strategy and research and development (R&D), after serving as head of bio South America operations, head of bio global marketing, and head of the bio technology research center. Since 2023, Yoon has served as head of the bio business division. Based on the results of demonstrating managerial strategic insight, Yoon was chosen as the right person to lead and oversee CJ CheilJedang.
Previously, CEO Kang Shin-ho, who led CJ CheilJedang as the first vice chairman from open recruitment within CJ Group, tendered a resignation for health reasons. CJ Group accepted it and appointed Yoon as the new CEO.
Lee Geon-il, the CJ Freshway CEO who will lead CJ Foodville, joined CJ CheilJedang through open recruitment and has served as head of the Twosome division at CJ Foodville, CEO of CJ Foods USA at CJ CheilJedang, and head of Business Management Office 1 at CJ Corporation. With CJ Foodville at an important turning point in growth for its global business led by Tous Les Jours, Lee's experience across the food sector and capabilities in global and business structure innovation are expected to be important.
To maintain consistency in business strategy centered on each company's existing leadership system and to increase execution for future growth, other affiliate CEOs were retained. The regular executive appointments for 2026, focused on promotions of new management leaders, will follow as subsequent announcements.
A CJ Group official said, "We preemptively carried out CEO appointments to strengthen accountable management in order to drive full-fledged global growth and prepare for the future."