Lee Jay-hyun CJ Group chairman's eldest son, Lee Sun-ho, head of future planning group (36), is increasing communication with employees and repeatedly appearing at major official events, speeding up an image overhaul at home and abroad. He is diluting the negative image imprinted on the public by past personal matters and building his presence as an executive responsible for the company's future growth engines.
According to the business community on the 30th, CJ Group has recently been increasing Lee's exposure internally and externally more actively than before. As the group considers ways to build a new image for Lee, he is said to want to be highlighted as a "rational leader."
In particular, Lee is putting effort into meeting and interacting directly with company employees. About twice a year, he gives lectures himself to new hires from open recruitment, and he is said to meet regularly with core talent selected by the group to talk with them.
Earlier, Lee personally presided over the "affiliate open innovation (O/I) council meetup" held in April. It was attended by members from affiliates such as CJ CheilJedang, CJ OnStyle, and CJ Investment who are in charge of discovering and fostering startups. There, he emphasized "connection and synergy" among affiliates.
This was the first time Lee had delivered his management message in a group-level public setting since he was appointed head of the future planning group in Nov. last year. After rejoining the holding company, he had focused on internal management.
Inside and outside the company, the view is that Lee has been taking a different path recently. Known for a shy personality and reluctance to step to the front, he had not typically asserted a strong presence even at official events. But lately, he is said to be accepting the need for external exposure, such as taking a seat next to his father, Chairman Lee, at official functions.
In fact, this year has brought more occasions for Lee to appear publicly. In January, after taking office as head of the future planning group, he visited "CES 2026," the world's largest IT and consumer electronics show, in Las Vegas. In May, he joined Chairman Lee on a North America on-site management itinerary. At the time, starting with "The CJ Cup," a regular PGA Tour event, Chairman Lee toured major business sites such as CJ CheilJedang and Olive Young.
This shift in Lee's moves coincided with a moment when his role within the group grew. At CJ CheilJedang, he served as head of the food growth promotion office, overseeing global food operations and new business development, before returning to the holding company last year and being appointed head of the future planning group in November. He is responsible for the group's mid- to long-term growth strategy, discovering future growth drivers, and artificial intelligence (AI) digital transformation (DX).
Lee first joined company management in 2013. After majoring in financial economics at Columbia University in the United States, he entered CJ CheilJedang through the group's open recruitment and worked in CJ Group's management strategy office, among others. He stepped down from duties in September 2019 due to a drug smuggling case, returned to CJ CheilJedang after one year and four months, and was promoted to executive that same year.
He is known to present a relatively down-to-earth, ordinary image as a family man in daily life. He employs only a driver without a separate secretary and is said to be active in childcare. He also spends considerable time with his children, such as personally accompanying his son's soccer activities. Recently, considering schooling for his eldest child entering elementary school, he is said to have moved from Jangchung-dong to near Daechi-dong in Seoul.
As Lee's management footprint expands, attention is turning to CJ Group's next leadership lineup. Chairman Lee's eldest daughter and Lee's older sister, Lee Kyung-hoo (41), head of brand strategy at CJ ENM, is expanding her role around affiliates together with her husband, Jeong Jong-hwan (46), head of content and global business at CJ ENM.