Park Dae-jun, Coupang CEO, stepped down on the 10th, taking responsibility for a massive personal information leak, drawing attention to Harold Rogers, CAO & General Counsel at Coupang Inc, who was appointed as interim CEO.
Rogers, the interim CEO who joined Coupang in 2020, is considered a close aide to Bom Kim, chair of Coupang Inc. He oversees legal affairs and overall operations. Observers said the appointment reflects the headquarters' intention to handle the crisis at the Korea unit directly.
Rogers, the interim CEO, born in 1977, is a U.S. national and an expert in law and management. After graduating from Brigham Young University (BYU) with a degree in English literature, he earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Harvard Law School. He is an alumnus alongside Chair Kim, who graduated from Harvard's political science department and founded Coupang after leaving Harvard Business School (MBA) while enrolled.
From 2006 for 10 years, Rogers worked as a partner attorney at the U.S. law firm Sidley Austin LLP, building experience in the fields of corporations litigation and regulatory response. He then served as Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer at the global telecommunications company Millicom International Cellular, overseeing legal and risk management organizations at a global corporation.
Rogers joined Coupang Inc in 2020 as CAO and has led legal affairs since December 2021. He is regarded as a key figure overseeing management, legal, and risk management across the U.S. headquarters led by Chair Kim.
In 2022, when the U.S. ambassador to Korea and Korean government officials visited the Daegu Coupang fulfillment center, Rogers traveled to Korea and introduced the site.
The industry sees the move as a signal that Coupang is shifting the data leak crisis to a "headquarters-managed system." Explaining the background of appointing Rogers as interim CEO, Coupang said, "Parent company Coupang Inc is actively working to resolve this incident and ease customers' anxiety," adding, "The interim CEO will focus on easing customer concerns arising from the personal information leak, managing the internal and external crisis, and stabilizing the organization."
Through an internal notice the same day, Rogers, the interim CEO, said, "Our priorities are clear," adding, "We will respond thoroughly to this incident, strengthen information security to prevent a recurrence, and rebuild trust."
He went on to emphasize, "We will also focus on supporting every team as we stabilize the organization and move forward." The remarks were taken to convey an intention to actively work to restore trust while stressing organizational stability and responsible action to employees.
Meanwhile, the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee will hold a hearing on the 17th on Coupang's massive personal information leak. Rogers, the interim CEO who took office that day, is also expected to attend the hearing. A Coupang official said, "As we said we would actively work to ease customer concerns and manage the crisis, the new CEO, Rogers, plans to appear at the hearing."