Hankook taps Google Cloud for new digital chief

Seoul – Hankook & Co., the holding company of Hankook Tire & Technology, has named digital and IT industry veteran Seongjin Kim as senior vice president and chief digital officer, effective immediately. 

In his new position, Seongjin Kim will be responsible for further accelerating digital transformation of the group, said Hankook in a 3 Feb statement.

Kim is tasked with establishing "an innovation model based on advanced digital technologies and build information and communication technology (ICT) strategies."

He will also build the group’s data process and analysis system, process IT-related information, and integrate software systems.

Seongjin Kim most recently served as the director, manufacturing market lead at Google Cloud Asia Pacific.

Prior to that, he worked with companies such as Samsung Group, SAP, General Electric (GE) and Hyundai Elevator. 

At GE, he developed industrial digital platforms and IoT businesses, and carried out a smart factory project for manufacturing innovation, Hankook said. 

While at Hyundai Elevator as director of digital innovation division, he led the establishment of corporate digital innovation strategies such as introducing AI and other new digital technologies.

Hankook said it expected Kim to expand the group’s digital-based innovation by further incorporating artificial intelligence and big data to the entire ecosystem, ranging from production to distribution, sales and customers service.