KOREA WHO
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CEO of Samsung Bioepis
Kim Kyung-ah
Researcher-Turned-Executive With Full Biosimilar Experience Draws Attention as Samsung’s First Female Professional CEO
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Last Updated on May 15, 2025
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CEO of Samsung Bioepis
Life Summary
Kim Kyung-ah is the President and CEO of Samsung Bioepis.
She oversees the research and development of biosimilars (biologic drug equivalents) and is exploring new drug development as a future business opportunity.
She was born in 1968.
She graduated from the College of Pharmacy at Seoul National University and earned a master’s degree in pharmacy from the university’s graduate school. She holds a Ph.D. in toxicology from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health in the United States.
She worked for eight years in the U.S. as a researcher at drug development company Highsec, biotech firm Novello, and life sciences company Stemline. She then returned to Korea and joined the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology as a principal researcher in bio drug development.
Since 2015, she has played a pivotal role in all aspects of Samsung Bioepis’s biosimilar business.
She became head of Samsung Bioepis after former CEO Ko Han-seung was appointed Head of Future Business Planning at Samsung Electronics at the end of 2024.
She is the first female professional CEO to emerge from the Samsung Group.
#KimKyungah #SamsungBioepis #Biosimilar #NewDrugDevelopment #SamsungCEO #JohnsHopkins #SNUPharmacy #WomenInLeadership #Biopharma #KoreanExecutives
She oversees the research and development of biosimilars (biologic drug equivalents) and is exploring new drug development as a future business opportunity.
She was born in 1968.
She graduated from the College of Pharmacy at Seoul National University and earned a master’s degree in pharmacy from the university’s graduate school. She holds a Ph.D. in toxicology from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health in the United States.
She worked for eight years in the U.S. as a researcher at drug development company Highsec, biotech firm Novello, and life sciences company Stemline. She then returned to Korea and joined the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology as a principal researcher in bio drug development.
Since 2015, she has played a pivotal role in all aspects of Samsung Bioepis’s biosimilar business.
She became head of Samsung Bioepis after former CEO Ko Han-seung was appointed Head of Future Business Planning at Samsung Electronics at the end of 2024.
She is the first female professional CEO to emerge from the Samsung Group.
#KimKyungah #SamsungBioepis #Biosimilar #NewDrugDevelopment #SamsungCEO #JohnsHopkins #SNUPharmacy #WomenInLeadership #Biopharma #KoreanExecutives