Since the rapid advances in electrical engineering made by Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, and countless other scientists in the late 19th century, electricity has become an indispensable power source for human civilization and the driving force behind the Second Industrial Revolution. Today, the number of electric vehicles that have replaced fossil fuels has increased dramatically and AI industries also require electricity. The ESS, which stores energy as electricity, is developing to meet these demands and it is becoming more important that the next generation of leaders in the electricity industry is highly sought after. 

Next Generation Leader Forum with young leaders at the center

The ‘Next Generation Leaders Forum’ of the Korea Electrical Manufacturer’s Cooperative, which brings together the next generation of leaders who will lead the 100-year plan of the Korean electrical industry, was launched on March 19th with an inaugural general meeting at the cooperative’s main auditorium in Yatap-dong, Seongnam-si, with approximately 50 member companies in attendance. The cooperative was established on May 21, 1962, with the purpose of promoting the sound development of the electrical industry and the welfare of its members, and to improve the economic status of its members and the balanced development of the national economy by carrying out cooperative projects. It has created a foundation for manufacturing superior products by standardizing and improving the quality of electrical devices, securing sales channels, and smoothing the supply of raw materials. Heebong Moon, who took office in March of last year, said he would lead the organization to change its management paradigm, including carbon neutrality, ESG, and digital transformation, and that he would come up with policies tailored to the new generation, especially given that 40% of all member companies are second-generation managers. The environment that second-generation executives find themselves in is different from the environment that first-generation executives found themselves in. Industries and technologies are constantly evolving, and concepts and industries that were considered mainstream yesterday can become fringe today. While first generation managers focused on traditional charging equipment products such as transformers, switchgear, and circuit breakers, second generation managers have expanded into e-mobility, robotics, batteries, and electric vehicle chargers. The Next Generation Leader Forum, centered on second-generation executives, was launched to pave the way for manufacturing in response to this reality.

Young leaders at the center

As the industry becomes more diversified and rapidly changing, it is essential for industry players to exchange information and cooperatively support each other, which is why the Next Generation Leaders Forum was launched. To this end, the Forum was created to foster the management skills and networking of the next generation of leaders at the union’s member companies, and is a further evolution of the successor and second-generation management gatherings that have been held since 2019, focusing on younger leaders under the age of 70. The Next Generation Leaders Forum elected E-Tech CEO Kwangjean Yun as the first chairman, Digital Power CEO Lee Tae-ho, Seoul Sanjeon Director Choi Eun-ah, Hwajeong Sanjeon CEO Shin Yu-cheol, Sangdo Electric CEO Park Jae-hyeon, and SP Gijeon CEO Jeon Seo-bin as vice-chairmen. E-Tech supplies distribution panels to IDC, logistics centers, plants, solar power generation, and ESS business facilities with the corporate spirit of ‘If you lose quality, you lose everything.’ “Because there are many differences between the previous generation and the current generation, they often clash. This forum was started to solve such problems, exchange information, manage personal networks, narrow the gap between each other, and promote exchange.” 

Creating synergy with the next generation of leaders

The forum holds regular and extraordinary general meetings once a year, studies management lessons at regular breakfasts, and organizes cultural and sports events. The forum aims to expand its membership from the current 48 members to 200. “When you have young people together, the ideas fly and there’s a lot of synergy. We aim to bring technologies together, patent them and share them, and work together on sales and monetization” says Chairman Yun. Currently, the cooperative is promoting the establishment of its status by exhibiting products from member companies through organic cooperation with related organizations such as the Korea Electro-technology Research Institute and the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation. The cooperative plans to design the next 100 years of the Korean electric industry with the participation of next-generation leaders in the forum and to further expand the venues where next-generation leaders can join forces. “The Next Generation Leaders Forum will study and plan the development of new technologies and management techniques from a fresh perspective. We will do our best to make it a pivotal platform for the development of the electrical industry in Korea” say Yun.