Samsung gets first woman CEO outside founding family in 86 years

For Samsung Group, this has been a year of milestones. First, a rare public apology from its flagship Samsung Electronics, followed by a bumper share buyback. And now, South Korea’s biggest conglomerate has named a woman that’s not member of its founding family as chief executive officer of a group company for the first time in its 86 years.

In a country where women business leaders have long struggled to make inroads into corporate boards and C-suites, the appointment of Kim Kyung-Ah as president and CEO of Samsung Bioepis is a story likely to inspire the next generation of executives.