이 기사는 2022년 03월 31일 08시08분 thebell에 표출된 기사입니다

SK On, the battery unit wholly owned by SK Innovation, is ramping up hiring of executives from outside as the competition for talent is getting tougher among South Korean battery makers.

In February alone, SK On recruited four new executives from outside the company and other SK affiliates. One of them is Kwon Sang-han, who was appointed as executive vice president on February 7. He worked at PwC Consulting before joining the battery maker.

Kwon, born in 1978, will lead the company’s Process Innovation team which is responsible for developing processes for better management and efficiency. He is the third youngest among the company’s executives.

Kang Soo-jong also joined SK On as executive vice president on the same day as Kwon’s appointment. He formerly worked for battery equipment company Wonik PNE and will be responsible for leading the development of battery cell technology.

At the end of February, SK On recruited two more executives from Renault Korea Motors and GSI, a battery line manufacturer. They will lead the company’s quality assurance and production line teams, respectively.

Some of the company’s new executives came from within SK’s affiliates. Jeong Woo-sung and Mo Jong-gyu were transferred to SK On from SK Inc, the conglomerate’s holding company, and SK hynix, respectively.

Battery manufacturing is one of the country’s industries where companies recruit talent from outside most actively. Three major players in the industry – LG Energy Solution, SK On and Samsung SDI – are all recruiting experienced staff on an ongoing basis.

However, hiring executives from outside could be a different story. Many South Korean companies are still cautious about that, citing employee morale as one of the reasons. Some argue promoting executives from within is better, especially given that they are in leadership roles and thus need to have a deep understanding of company culture.

It has also been rare to see executives hired from outside in the battery industry. But now changes are taking place as battery makers race to attract top talent for their executive teams amid increased competition for a bigger share in the market.

SK Innovation recruited two senior executives from Hyundai Motor and Samsung Electronics in August last year to enhance its battery business before separating it as SK On in October.

Pyun Kyung-suk, former data scientist at US chip designer Nvidia, Kim Gyu-sung who worked as lead system engineer at Honeywell, and supply chain expert Shin Yong-In who worked at Samsung Electronics joined LG Energy Solution's executive team last year.

Samsung SDI also recruited an engineering professor at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology as executive vice president in August last year, although most of its executives comprise former senior officials at Samsung’s affiliates. (Reporting by Wie-su Kim)