Lucia Hee-Kyung Cho is President & CEO of  HWAYO, the premium Korean spirits brand.

A multiple award-winning leader in brand strategy, marketing and public relations, she has spent her career reshaping how the world sees Korean cuisine, craft and design.

Her work began with ceramics and expanded to restaurants and then to spirits. As former CEO of Kwangjuyo,

she directed two rebrandings of Korea’s leading luxury tableware brand. As Creative Director at the Kwangjuyo Group and former CEO of Gaon Society, she built two MICHELIN-starred Korean restaurants in Seoul, GAON and Bicena, and developed partnerships with MICHELIN-starred chefs around the world.

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Selected achievements​​

• Directed brand strategy and operations for GAON and Bicena, which received three and one MICHELIN stars respectively in the MICHELIN Guide Seoul 2017–2019, making them the first restaurant group in Korea to hold four MICHELIN stars.

• Relaunched Gaon Society’s fine-dining program after its first restaurants (2003–2008), rebuilding guest loyalty and helping establish a chef-driven culture for Korean cuisine.

• Led collaborations with restaurants in the USA, Denmark and Korea, and took part in major Korean exhibitions and events.

• Regularly invited as a featured speaker and host at international conferences and on television.​​

 

 

 

Education

2017 — (UK) Foundations in Decorative Arts and Design, Sotheby's Institute of Art

2012 — (KOREA) EMBA, Advanced IT-based Innovation & Transformation Management (ATM) Program, KAIST 2011 — (KOREA) Korean Cuisine Star Chef Program, Sookmyung Women's University

2009–2010 — (ITALY) Master of Quality Food and Culture Communication, University of Gastronomic Sciences 2009 — (MOROCCO) African Economy 5-Day Program, Credit Suisse

2008 — (KOREA) World Knowledge Forum & INSEAD Mini-MBA Course, Maeil Business Newspaper

2006–2008 — (USA) MBA, Loyola University

2006 — (JAPAN) Culinary and Food Styling Certificate, L'école Amy's

2005 — (THAILAND) 5-Day Executive MBA Program, University of St. Gallen (Credit Suisse)

1999–2003 — (USA) Bachelor of Fine Arts, School of the Art Institute of Chicago

1995–1999 — (JAPAN) International School of the Sacred Heart

 

 

Languages
Fluent in English, Korean and Japanese; basic French (currently studying)

 

 

Arts and Culture Affiliations
Member, Slow Food; Member, Enshu School of Japanese Tea Ceremony