Naver to name new CFO as incumbent financial manager's term nears end

South Korea’s tech giant Naver Corp. is expected to soon announce a new chief financial officer as its current CFO Kim Nam-sun, credited for the company’s global expansion through mergers and acquisitions, is set to leave the role after his term ends later this month.

According to the information technology industry on Wednesday, Kim will step down from Naver’s CFO position after his term ends in March. The company is expected to announce its successor before or after a general shareholders' meeting on March 26.

Kim’s next role is not decided, meaning he could take a new job at Naver or leave the company. Nor is it known who will be Naver’s next CFO.

Kim joined Naver in 2020 to lead the tech giant’s mergers and acquisitions and was appointed as the company’s CFO in 2022.

Throughout his tenure, he played a key role in managing Naver's multiple major mergers and acquisitions, including a $1.6 billion deal to acquire Poshmark, a US-based social e-commerce platform, as well as Wattpad, a renowned online novel platform based in Canada.

He is credited with Naver’s expansion beyond Korea, reinforcing its position as a major player in the international tech and digital content industry.

He also led Naver’s storytelling platform operator Webtoon Entertainment Inc.’s successful initial public offering on the US Nasdaq market last year, further strengthening Naver’s global presence.

Under his leadership, Naver has maintained its financial health sound, contrary to its cross-town rival Kakao Corp., which is reeling from reckless mergers and acquisitions and spinoffs of subsidiaries to list them.  

Kim holds a Bachelor of Science in Materials Science & Engineering from Seoul National University and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Harvard Law School.

Before joining Naver, Kim worked for Morgan Stanley and Macquarie Asset Management.

Write to Jun-Ho Cha at chacha@hankyung.com

Sookyung Seo edited this article.