In a country where women have long faced challenges breaking into corporate leadership, the appointment of Kim Kyung-Ah as the new president and CEO of Samsung Bioepis Co. is being hailed as a groundbreaking moment. Kim’s rise to the top is likely to inspire future generations of women aspiring to lead major corporations.
Kim, 56, holds a doctorate in neurotoxicology from Johns Hopkins University and boasts more than 20 years of expertise in biologic development. As CEO, she will oversee the development of new products at Samsung Bioepis. Her appointment is effective immediately and marks a key part of Samsung’s management reshuffle announced earlier this week. Neurotoxicology, a branch of science, studies the harmful effects of chemicals and biological agents on the nervous system.
Although Kim’s ascent is undoubtedly a significant achievement, female representation in South Korea’s boardrooms remains limited. In 2023, women accounted for just 10% of board members at the country’s 269 largest listed companies, despite women and men receiving equal levels of education. However, the proportion of female executives is gradually increasing, up from 3% in 2019 and 6.9% in 2021. This shift follows a change in the law in 2020 that requires large listed companies to have at least one male and one female board member, thus preventing all-male or all-female boards.
Before joining Bioepis in 2015, Kim held roles at Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, the company’s research and development arm. There, she served as principal scientist and later as vice president, focusing on developing antibody therapies for oncology. With her extensive background in scientific research and development, Kim becomes the second woman to lead a Samsung affiliate, following Lee Boo-jin, the granddaughter of Samsung’s founder Lee Byung-chull, who has served as CEO of Hotel Shilla Co.
Samsung was founded in 1938 by Lee Byung-chull, who opened his first business in the southern city of Daegu, selling dried fish, fruit, and noodles. The company expanded into diverse sectors like transportation, real estate, brewing, and insurance before opening Samsung Electronics in 1969. Lee ran the company until his death in 1987. Today, Samsung’s leadership is shared between his grandchildren and professional managers, following the passing of former chairman Lee Kun-hee in 2020.