Dongwon Group said on the 29th that it carried out its regular executive appointments for 2026. The plan is to place executives with expertise at the forefront of each business institutional sector to enhance the group's sustainability and global competitiveness.
According to Dongwon Group, these appointments follow the representative director-level personnel moves carried out proactively on the 29th of last month, and the 20 executives selected will lead growth and new businesses in each institutional sector. The appointments take effect on Feb. 1.
Cho Sung-jin, vice president and CEO of Dongwon Construction Business, was promoted to president. Cho was recognized for strengthening financial soundness through solid management, including selective orders focused on quality project sites and cost reductions, despite a slump in the construction market.
Noh Kyung-tak, vice president and CEO of Dongwon Farms, was also promoted to president. Noh was credited with establishing a solid business foundation through the development of functional livestock feed and supply chain efficiency.
Kim Se-hoon, head of the holding institutional sector at Dongwon Industries, was promoted to vice president. Kim contributed to enhancing shareholder value through a governance restructuring and the implementation of interim dividends, and was highly evaluated for actively introducing artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to accelerate the AI transformation (AX) across all of the group's business areas.
Lee Young-sang, head of the meat institutional sector at Dongwon Home Food, was also promoted to vice president. Lee is cited as the person who led stable growth and improved profitability at the livestock wholesale platform "Geumcheon Meat." In particular, securing new clients strengthened the competitiveness of the meat institutional sector.
Dongwon Group also made new executive appointments to strengthen its global business. At Starkist, its U.S. subsidiary, Michael R. Merritt was appointed as head of marketing (Consumer Marketing & Innovation). Merritt is an expert with broad experience in brand marketing at companies including Smithfield Foods, the largest meat processor in the United States.
John Fields was appointed head of financial services at Starkist. Fields, a finance expert who has worked at PepsiCo and Tropicana, is expected to reinforce the financial stability and growth foundation of the global business.
A Dongwon Group official said, "We made these appointments to respond proactively to a rapidly changing business environment and to lay the groundwork for future growth," and added, "We will continue to identify new growth engines based on technology and expertise and practice responsible management."