KOREA WHO

Shin Chang-jae is the Chairman and CEO of Kyobo Life Insurance and also serves as Chairman of the Board.

He is the only owner-CEO in the domestic life insurance industry and shares the top executive role with President Cho Dae-gyu as co-CEO.

He has committed himself to transforming the company into a comprehensive financial group through a transition to a holding company structure.

After resolving disputes with financial investors, he is once again pushing ahead with plans for an initial public offering (IPO).

Born on October 31, 1953, in Seoul, he is the eldest son of Shin Yong-ho, the founder of Kyobo Life Insurance.

He graduated from Kyunggi High School and Seoul National University’s College of Medicine, later earning both his master’s and doctoral degrees in medicine from the same university’s graduate school.

Specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, he served as a professor at Seoul National University College of Medicine before being diagnosed with cancer. At the urging of his father, who was considering succession plans, he accepted the position of Vice Chairman at Kyobo Life, marking his first step into management.

After becoming Chairman, he transformed Kyobo Life from a loss-making company into the third-largest life insurer in the industry by total assets.

He advocates an “ambidextrous management” approach—generating profits from the life insurance business with one hand while cultivating future growth engines such as MyData and healthcare services with the other.

While occasionally bold, his management style is generally cautious, and he values open, informal communication with employees.