Early Life
Chey Tae-won was born in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, on December 3, 1960. He is the eldest son of Chey Jong-hyun, the former chairman of SK Group. He graduated from Korea University with a bachelor's degree in physics. He later pursued a Ph.D. in economics at the University of Chicago, although he did not complete the program.
Rise to Success
Chey Tae-won's career began at SK Corporation, where he held various executive positions. He became the chairman of SK Group at the young age of 38, following his father's death in 1998. Under his leadership, SK Group has grown to become South Korea's second-largest conglomerate. Chey played a crucial role in expanding the group's business areas through mergers and acquisitions, notably the acquisition of SK Hynix, which propelled the company to become the world's second-largest memory chipmaker.
Key Business Strategies
Chey's leadership has been characterized by strategic reforms and restructuring, which have been key to the growth of SK Group. He has been focused on sectors such as energy, semiconductors, and telecommunications. Chey has also identified semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI) as future growth engines for the group, pushing for large-scale investments in these areas. He has also launched initiatives to streamline non-core affiliates and has a strong interest in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management and corporate social activities.
Philanthropy
Chey Tae-won is involved in philanthropic endeavors, though the exact amounts of his contributions are not readily available in the search results. He has been involved in initiatives promoting social value creation and is a key contributor to global and regional non-profit organizations, such as the World Economic Forum and the Boao Forum.
