Former KIC chief to lead Chong Kun Dang Holdings until 2027

Chong Kun Dang Holdings CEO Choi Hee-nam

Choi Hee-nam has taken on his new role as the CEO of Chong Kun Dang Holdings, as his appointment was confirmed at the shareholders' meeting and the board of directors of the pharmaceutical company at the end of last month.

Chong Kun Dang Holdings operates subsidiaries, including Chong Kun Dang, Chong Kun Dang Bio and KB Pharm. Choi's term will last for the next three years until March 2027.

The 63-year-old former deputy finance minister has built a decades-long career in global finances and investment.

After serving as a high-ranking economic bureaucrat in the government for some 30 years, Choi went on to assume the CEO post of Korea Investment Corp. from 2018 to 2021.

He also held the honorary position of the country's financial cooperation ambassador, designated by the foreign affairs ministry in late 2020.

Choi has been serving as the chairman of the board of directors at Standard Chartered Bank Korea since 2021, as well as a global fellow at the Milken Institute, a U.S.-headquartered economic think tank, since 2022.

After studying economics at Hanyang University, he earned a doctorate in economics at the University of Pittsburgh. He previously served as an elected member of the International Monetary Fund's executive board.