Shin Dong-bin, chairman of Lotte, will gather with affiliate CEOs on the 15th to discuss this year's business strategy.
According to the industry on the 4th, Lotte plans to hold the first-half 2026 VCM (Value Creation Meeting, formerly presidents' meeting) at Lotte World Tower in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the 15th, chaired by Chairman Shin. The VCM is the group's top management meeting held twice a year, in the first and second half, and is attended by the CEO and Deputy Minister of LOTTE Corporation and heads of major affiliates.
Shin Yoo-yeol, executive vice president who also serves as head of the Future Growth Office at LOTTE Corporation and as co-CEO of Lotte Biologics, is also expected to attend this meeting. Typically, the first-half VCM has reviewed the previous year's management performance and the overall status of the group, and shared the current year's management goals and key tasks.
In this first-half VCM, in particular, there is an expectation that discussions will focus on mid- to long-term strategies to respond to changes in internal and external business conditions. At the end of last year, through regular personnel moves, Lotte revealed a strong commitment to reform by having all vice chairmen step down and by carrying out a large-scale reshuffle of affiliate CEOs.
At that time, Lotte abolished the HQ (headquarters) system, which had grouped affiliates by industry such as retail, chemicals, food, and hotels, and reorganized the company to strengthen each affiliate's responsible management structure.
In a New Year's address on the 2nd, Chairman Shin said, "This year, the 'three highs' of inflation, high interest rates, and a strong dollar, along with geopolitical risks, will continue to dampen consumer sentiment and keep raw material prices on an upward trend, and fundamental structural improvements in core businesses will be required due to demographic changes."