Ex-Home plus chief wins global retail award

Lee Seung-han, right, former president of Home plus and executive of Next & Partners, receives the Lifetime Achievement Award from World Retail Congress Asia Pacific President Juliana Liu in Singapore, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Next & Partners

By Lee Ji-hye

A Korean businessman has received a world-renowned award for his contribution to the retail industry.

Lee Seung-han, former president of Home plus and executive of Next & Partners, was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Retail Congress (WRC) Asia Pacific in Singapore, which ran from March 17-18.

Lee reportedly received the award with unanimous support from the 14-member WRC Advisory Board.

The committee stated in a press release that their decision was based on Lee’s leadership and devotion in the reform of the retail sector, and emphasized his role in

inspiring the invention of virtual stores.

Lee’s Tesco Home plus Academy for intense training of retail professionals was also a major factor in Lee receiving the award.

“I promise all students of the Tesco Home plus Academy an extraordinary set of facilities and environment to be trained, educated and molded into the best human

resources possible within the retail sector,” Lee had said as he founded the institution.

Lee’s award ceremony took place in Singapore at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel on Tuesday.

Previous recipients include Jack Ma, founder and chairman of Alibaba Group, who received the award last year; Tadashi Yanai, president of UNIQLO; and Victor

Fung and William Fung of LI & FUNG.