Saturday, 20 April 2024

Suh Kyung-bae, CEO, Amorepacific Group

Korea

Champion's Profile

Suh Kyung-bae is the Chairman & CEO of Amorepacific Group, a Korean cosmetics company founded by his father Suh Sung-whan in 1945.

UNDP SDG

Industry Innovation and Infrastructure

Description and impact

The Suh Kyung-bae Science Foundation in September awarded 10 billion won ($9 million), to be allocated over five years, to four South Korean scientists for research in neuroscience and genetics. Suh established the foundation in 2016 with a personal endowment of 300 billion won. Since 2017, the foundation has awarded 14 scientists grants of between 1.5 billion and 2.5 billion won. Suh pledged in 2016 to donate whatever was needed to bring the foundation’s total funding up to 1 trillion won. With those funds, the foundation plans in 2021 to increase the number of scientists who receive its grants to 25 a year; it aims to mark its 20th anniversary in 2036 by giving grants to 100 scientists.