Former McDonald's Korea CEO to head Homeplus

Homeplus' incoming CEO Joh Ju-yeon / Courtesy of Homeplus

Joh Ju-yeon, former managing director at McDonald’s Korea, has been promoted to president and CEO of Homeplus for her efforts to enhance the overall brand identity of the supermarket chain, the company said Monday.

She joined Homeplus as a chief marketing officer in 2021 after ending her career at the fast food chain. As the new head of Homeplus, she is expected to focus on reinforcing Homeplus’ brand image as a discount product retailer by taking the lead in diverse marketing campaigns.

Joh is best known for her leadership at McDonald’s Korea. She made headlines as the first female CEO of the local subsidiary of the U.S. burger chain in 2016. She left the company in 2020 and joined Homeplus the following year and has worked as its vice president and marketing chief.

She is an expert in industrial design and strategy setting. She has also worked at major global firms, such as LG Electronics and Motorola before her four years at McDonalds’ Korea.

Under the latest reshuffle of top management, former Homeplus CEO Lee Jae-hoon has also been promoted to vice chairman of the company.

“The promotion of the two top-ranking executives will help accelerate our growth, as they will be able to tighten their grip on leadership after the reshuffle,” an official from Homeplus said.

MBK Partners Vice Chairman Kim Kwang-il will support Joh to bring her leadership on a solid track. In 2015, the private equity firm acquired Homeplus for 7.2 trillion won ($5.38 billion) and Kim stood at the center of the mega-sized deal.

Kim will also support Joh to set more forward-looking corporate strategies, according to Homeplus.

“We have recognized their credit for helping us expand our sales and secure medium- to long-term growth momentum,” the official said.