Lee Jay-hyun

Early Life

Lee Jay-hyun was born in Seoul, South Korea, on March 19, 1960. He is the eldest grandson of Lee Byung-chul, the founder of Samsung Group. His father, Lee Maeng-hee, was the eldest son of Lee Byung-chul but was later pushed out of competition in a power struggle with his younger brother, Lee Kun-hee. Lee attended Kyungbock High School and later received a bachelor's degree from Korea University.

Rise to Success

Lee Jay-hyun began his career at Citibank in 1983. In 1985, he joined CheilJedang, the family business, at the request of his grandfather. He briefly held positions at Samsung Electronics before taking over CJ Group in the late 1990s after it separated from Samsung. He became the CEO and chairman of CJ Group in 2002. Under Lee's leadership, CJ Group expanded into logistics, biotechnology, and media. Despite legal challenges, including a conviction for tax evasion and embezzlement in 2014, Lee was pardoned and returned to his post in 2017.

Key Business Strategies

Lee Jay-hyun is credited with transforming CJ Group into a successful conglomerate and expanding its global presence. CJ Group operates in food and food services, bio, logistics & retail, and entertainment & media. CJ CheilJedang is the largest food and beverage company in South Korea. CJ ENM is a leading entertainment company that has produced globally-acclaimed content.

Philanthropy

Lee is known for his philanthropic efforts and has endowed the Lee Family Scholarship at Columbia College.