Chey Yoon-chung, head of SK biopharmaceuticals Co.’s strategic investment team and eldest daughter of SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, is set to ascend as an executive at the company, signaling the conglomerate’s shift into its third generation of leadership.

According to sources on Wednesday, Yoon-chung, 34, is slated to be officially promoted to an executive position during the regular personnel reshuffle scheduled for Thursday. Her responsibilities are expected to focus on business development-related organizational tasks.

Yoon-chung, the scion following the lineage of Chey Jong-hyun and Chey Tae-won, pursued a biology degree at the University of Chicago, where her father graduated.

She subsequently worked as a researcher at the University of Chicago’s brain science institute and as a consultant at Bain & Company before joining SK biopharmaceuticals in 2017 as a senior manager in the strategic planning team.

Taking a hiatus in 2019, she pursued a master’s in bioinformatics at Stanford University. She returned to the company in July 2021. Earlier this year, Yoon-chung was promoted to head the strategic investment team within SK biopharmaceuticals’ global investment division.

Industry insiders commend her contributions, citing her role in the acquisition of SK Life Science Labs and her adeptness in business development and investment arenas. Insiders describe her work ethic as smart and diligent, highlighting her evolution into a promising business leader.

Meanwhile, Chey’s second daughter, Chey Min-jeong, 32, joined SK hynix as a deputy in 2019 and worked in the strategy division of the company’s strategic division in the U.S. before taking a leave of absence early last year.

Chey’s eldest son, Chey In-keun, 28, is involved in managerial education at PassKey, a North American energy solution business entity under SK E&S.

By Chung Seung-hwan and Minu Kim

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