Market Kurly CEO receives Pony Chung Leadership Award

By Kim Hyun-bin

Market Kurly CEO Sophie Kim has received the first Pony Chung Leadership Award given to young innovative business leaders.

The Pony Chung Foundation initiated the leadership award to mark the 15th anniversary of its establishment.

The award is meant to encourage and highlight young leaders under the age of 40, who lead efforts to better meet the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The recipient receives a 50 million won prize and a plaque.

The Pony Chung Leadership Award ceremony is held between September and October each year and is separate from the foundation's Innovation Award.

Sophie Kim was born in 1983 and graduated from U.S. Wellesly University with a bachelor's degree in political science.

She has worked for numerous international financial and consulting firms including Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Company and Temasek Holdings and became famous for giving up her high salary to become a founder of Market Kurly.

Market Kurly was launched in 2015 to supply consumers with fresh food and initiated the country's first daily early morning deliveries.

The company has shown drastic growth over the years, with last year's total sales coming to 428.9 billion won creating a frenzy in the local distribution and logistics market.

Kim has been a trend-setter in the distribution industry with her eco-friendly management. Since February, she has been working as the chairwoman for the Korea Startup Forum to help foster next-generation business leaders.

“In the past five years since Sophie Kim launched Market Kurly, she has stirred the industry with its early-morning deliveries as well as their distribution and logistics models,” said Kim Chul-soo, chairman of the board at Pony Chung Foundation. “Furthermore, the company has been leading in eco-friendly management enhancing the societal value while becoming a role model for society.”