Gurgaon: Cheil South West Asia (SWA) has appointed Sungkyoon Kim as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Cheil SWA Group, marking a strategic leadership move as the agency sharpens its focus on AI-led marketing transformation.
Based out of the agency’s Gurgaon headquarters, Kim will lead a 1,000-strong team across Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata. His mandate spans a broad spectrum of capabilities including creative, data, technology, retail, media and experiential — reinforcing Cheil SWA’s integrated solutions model.
Three Decades of Data-Driven Marketing Leadership
Kim brings more than 30 years of experience in marketing strategy, data analytics and consumer psychology. Prior to this role, he served as Head of Digital Platform Business, overseeing Samsung.com, and led the Data & Analytics (DnA) Center at Cheil, where he strengthened CRM and data capabilities across the organization.
During his tenure, Kim spearheaded several digital transformation initiatives, including the design and deployment of a real-time digital media optimization platform that integrated cross-channel spend and performance data to improve investment efficiency and ROI.
He also led the development of LLM-powered AI agents designed for real-time analysis and automated insight generation — embedding AI deeper into marketing workflows.
An Adobe Experience Platform (AEP) expert, Kim drove marketing automation programs that unified customer data ecosystems and enabled real-time, personalized cross-channel campaigns. His work positioned Cheil to deliver scalable, insight-driven solutions in an increasingly performance-oriented advertising landscape.
Strengthening India’s Role in Global Data Operations
Kim played a pivotal role in establishing Cheil’s Global Data Center in India, expanding the agency’s offshore R&D capabilities and enhancing operational efficiencies for global mandates. The move strengthened India’s position within Cheil’s global data and technology framework.
Commenting on his appointment, Sungkyoon Kim said, “I am thrilled to lead Cheil SWA during this pivotal shift in the advertising landscape. As AI continues to redefine marketing, I believe our future success sits at the intersection of human psychology and data-driven technology. My goal is to drive an AI-led transformation that goes beyond the surface, embedding innovation into the very fabric of our business functions. Alongside our incredible talent, I look forward to delivering the kind of dynamic, high-impact marketing solutions our clients expect in this new era.”
Strategic Implications
Kim’s elevation comes at a time when agencies globally are recalibrating around AI, automation and unified data ecosystems. For Cheil SWA, his appointment signals a deeper integration of technology with creativity — moving beyond campaign-led thinking to building always-on, data-powered marketing infrastructure.
Industry observers view this leadership transition as a clear indication that Cheil SWA intends to double down on AI-native solutions, performance accountability and scalable digital platforms, while maintaining its creative core.
With Kim at the helm, the agency appears poised to strengthen its positioning as a future-ready, AI-integrated marketing partner in one of the world’s fastest-growing advertising markets.
