KT cuts No. of execs by 20%, hires external figure

KT reduced the number of executives by 20 percent, recruited external professionals to strengthen expertise and established a Technology Innovation Unit in a bid to accelerate digital innovation in its annual reshuffle of executives, the company said Thursday.

The reshuffle gained attention as it was the first of its kind since its new CEO Kim Young-shub was approved as the new chief of the local telecommunications giant by shareholders last August.

“In order to leap forward as an ICT service specialist company, we set a vision to be a digital innovation partner that creates a better future for our customers. We will embody the four core values of customer, capability, substance and harmony to grow into a good company recognized by customers,” the CEO said.

During the reshuffle, the CEO dismantled its group transformation unit along with the positions of chief strategy officer, chief financial officer and chief resources officer included within it. Each of their roles were overlapped and deployed directly under the CEO for better support of the chief. Furthermore, for swift decision-making, the number of executives were reduced by around 20 percent.

One of the notable aspects of this personnel reshuffle is the recruitment of external personnel. KT recruited recognized experts in the industry to enhance business competitiveness.

Among the newly recruited executives, Vice President and CTO Oh Seung-pil will lead the newly established Technology Innovation Unit. Oh, an IT expert who has worked at NASA, Yahoo!, Microsoft and Hyundai Card is expected to play a central role in establishing the IT and AI governance system of KT, the company said.

KT plans to accelerate the growth of the B2B market by strengthening core technology capabilities such as AI.

Following the launch of the hyperscale AI platform Mi:dm, the company will accelerate digital innovation by strengthening research and development, launching the AI business and establishing AI governance. In addition to the existing AI2XLab, it plans to establish an additional AI Tech Lab to enhance core technology competitiveness in the AI field.