Exion Group Appoints Shipbuilding and Plant Expert Choi Soo-hyun as CEO in Bid for Sales Growth

Choi Soohyun, the newly appointed CEO, explaining the business portfolio of Exion Group. Exion Group

Exion Group has made a decisive move for external growth by appointing a professional manager with more than 30 years of experience in shipbuilding, marine, and industrial sectors as its Chief Executive Officer. The company plans to pursue both increased sales from its existing semiconductor fab facilities business and actively win new orders for shipbuilding and marine, industrial plants, and data center projects.

On August 20, Exion Group announced that it has appointed Choi Soo-hyun as its new CEO, effective August 18.

Choi, the newly appointed CEO, graduated from the Department of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering at Seoul National University and completed his master's degree there. He later earned a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan in the United States. At Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, he gained extensive experience across key areas such as ship sales design, research and development, contract management, business management, ship technology, and procurement.

He is particularly known for his management of large-scale projects. He has overseen approximately 400 projects, including ships, offshore support vessels, passenger ships, and wind turbine installation vessels, and managed financial operations totaling about 50 trillion won. Choi is also recognized for his strong global network, built while negotiating and executing projects with overseas shipowners, ship classification societies, and global equipment suppliers.

He also has experience as a professional executive. From 2015, Choi served as CEO and President of Welliv, a subsidiary of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, overseeing around 1,200 employees and 11 service businesses. During his tenure, Welliv posted sales of 220 billion won and operating profits of 12.5 billion won, while actively pursuing business portfolio diversification. He subsequently gained further sales and management experience as president of Shinhan Heavy Industries.

Building on the appointment of CEO Choi, Exion Group aims to simultaneously boost sales in its existing semiconductor fab facility construction business and secure new orders in emerging businesses.

In particular, the company seeks to position shipbuilding and marine, industrial plants, and data centers as engines of growth and to discover new business opportunities. Leveraging CEO Choi's extensive project management expertise and domestic and international networks acquired over many years in the shipbuilding, marine, and industrial sectors, Exion Group plans to enhance its competitive edge in order intake.

A representative of Exion Group stated, "CEO Choi is a professional manager who possesses a deep understanding of the industrial field and rich experience managing large-scale projects," adding, "We will not only strengthen the competitiveness of our existing business areas, but also expand sales in new fields such as shipbuilding and marine, industrial plants, and data centers, thereby establishing a foundation for mid-to-long-term growth."

Industry observers are watching closely to see whether the appointment of a professional CEO will help Exion Group not only stabilize revenues from existing businesses but also significantly increase new large-scale project orders.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.