Amid the resolution of the management dispute among the founding family of Hanmi Pharmaceutical Group, Hanmi Science, the holding company, appointed a new CEO with experience from a competitor. Kim Jae-kyu (58), the vice president of MERITZ Securities, who led the technology transfer of the lung cancer new drug Lekraja at Yuhan Corporation, has been selected. Kim is expected to be officially appointed after a board meeting and shareholders' meeting next month.
According to industry sources on the 26th, Hanmi Science plans to hold a board meeting and shareholders' meeting in March to formally appoint Vice President Kim as the new CEO. This will be the first time Hanmi Science has appointed a professional manager as CEO since becoming a holding company.
During the year-long management dispute, Song Young-sook, chairperson of Hanmi Pharmaceutical, emphasized the introduction of a professional management system modeled after the U.S. pharmaceutical company Merck (MSD). Merck operates two committees: the Family Commissioner and the Partner Commissioner. A family committee, comprised of members of the Merck family and external experts, selects members for the partner committee, which in turn appoints Merck's senior management.
In July of last year, Chairperson Song stated, "Hanmi Pharmaceutical Group will revamp the existing owner-centric management system and shift to a field-centered professional management system to urgently stabilize management through enhanced business competitiveness and efficiency." She noted, "The majority shareholders will form a participative board of directors with outside directors to support and oversee the company's management."
If appointed as the new CEO, Vice President Kim will oversee the overall investment strategy of Hanmi Pharmaceutical Group as the representative of the holding company, as well as support coordination of affiliate businesses and technology transfers.
Vice President Kim is considered a person with a wealth of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and investments. After graduating from Kyungpook National University with a major in journalism and broadcasting in 1990, he joined Yuhan Corporation, where he oversaw mergers and acquisitions and technology transfers. Notably, in 2018, he led the contract to transfer the technology for the lung cancer new drug Lekraja to Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, for 1.4 trillion won, among four technology transfers. He later joined MERITZ Securities in 2021, where he led the Investment & Development (IND) division, focusing on discovering and nurturing bio ventures.