Former skier becomes local head of global PR firm
Chee Ihn
By Lee Hyo-sik
A former member of the Korea National Alpine Ski team has become the local head of global PR and communications firm Burson-Marsteller.
Chee Ihn, born in 1978, has pledged to increase the number of clients and provide crisis management and other value-added PR services to help businesses deal with increasingly sophisticated and rapidly changing market conditions.
“Things have been difficult for everyone in the PR and marketing communications industry as we all have experienced drastic market changes,” said Chee, who joined Burson-Marsteller Korea as its managing director early last month. “With technology accelerating the speed of communication, the way businesses interact with the media and the public has also changed.”
She said going digital will remain a key trend going forward, adding that increasing digitization will continue to bring new changes to the PR industry this year.
“Against rapidly changing market conditions and intensifying competition, I will make sure that Burson-Marsteller continues to remain a trusted partner for our clients by delivering comprehensive, high-value PR and marketing communications services,” Chee said. “Korea is a dynamic, fast, high-growth market that demands true knowhow and expertise for guiding clients through the fast-changing business and communications landscape. I will do my best to contribute to elevating Burson-Marsteller’s reputation and capabilities in the Korea market.”
Chee has more than 15 years of experience in strategic communications. She has counseled a wide range of senior executives of multinational corporations, providing them with strategies for a broad array of initiatives including market entry, corporate positioning, crisis communications and marketing communications.
Prior to joining Burson-Marsteller, she served as a vice president at Weber Shandwick Korea, leading the firm’s consumer, lifestyle and healthcare divisions for seven years.
Before that, Chee was a senior account supervisor at Edelman Korea, overseeing its PR and marketing communications strategies for high-profile multinational clients in the pharmaceutical, food and consumer goods industries.
“Chee brings to Burson-Marsteller a dynamic mixture of passion and in-depth experience across multiple industries and communications specialties,” said Margaret Key, CEO of Burson-Marsteller Asia-Pacific. “I am thrilled she will be partnering with us to deliver our vision for the region, and I have no doubt she will be an invaluable asset to our team and clients as we continue to grow our client portfolio in the Korea market.”
Chee earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Korea University.