CJ CheilJedang & Hyundai Group CEOs make an impactful debut in the Brand Guardianship Index 2025

• Kang Shin-ho, CEO of CJ Group, is the leading South Korean brand guardian, ranked 38th globally
• At 51st position globally is Han Jong-Hee, CEO of Samsung Group
• Jae-Hoon Chang, CEO of Hyundai Group, enters the rankings at 71st position globally

Three South Korean brand guardians from the food, technology and automobiles sectors have demonstrated exceptional leadership and excellence according to the Brand Guardianship Index (BGI) 2025, a new report by Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy.

The BGI underscores greater importance on public perceptions, assessing CEOs based on their leadership qualities, brand stewardship, and long-term value creation, with an emphasis on ethical leadership and global responsibility. These leaders have earned recognition for their ability to successfully navigate a swiftly evolving global market while upholding ethical business practices, thereby reinforcing South Korea’s prominent role in global corporate leadership.

At the forefront of South Korea’s line-up of brand guardians is Kang Shin-ho, CEO of CJ CheilJedang, who ranked 38th globally with a BGI score of 79 out of 100. His exceptional performance in both the business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) sectors, particularly in areas such as ’strategy and vision’, ’long-term value focus’, and ’positive change’, has been instrumental to CJ CheilJedang’s success. In just one year in the role, Kang Shin-ho has not only broken into the top 50 but also emerged as the leading brand guardian in the global food sector for the first time, a testament to his ability to drive meaningful change and foster long-term success.

Samsung Group CEO Han Jong-Hee ranks 51st globally this year, with a BGI score of 77.7 out of 100. While his ranking slipped from 37th last year, his leadership has driven an impressive 11% increase in Samsung’s brand value, reaching USD110.6 billion. This growth is largely attributed to key factors such as ’artificial intelligence’, ’strategic vision’, ‘commercially shrewd’, and a keen focus on ’customer needs’ in the B2C sector. Despite the drop in the individual ranking, his leadership has been pivotal in cementing Samsung’s position as South Korea’s most valuable and strongest brand in the 2025 Global 500 rankings, reinforcing its enduring global influence and market leadership.

Jae-Hoon Chang, CEO of Hyundai Group, achieved 71st place in the BGI ranking with a score of 76 out of 100. This score was derived from key attributes such as ’artificial intelligence’, ’strategic vision’, ’customer needs’, and ’sustainability’ within the B2C sector. Chang’s strategic emphasis on innovation and sustainability has been pivotal in Hyundai’s continued growth and its strong performance in the global market.

Alex Haigh, Managing Director Asia Pacific, Brand Finance, commented:

[i"Kang Shin-ho, Han Jong-Hee, and Jae-Hoon Chang have demonstrated exceptional leadership, propelling their companies to new heights. Their impressive rankings in the Brand Guardianship Index 2025 highlight their strategic vision and unwavering commitment to innovation and growth. These leaders exemplify South Korea’s strength in global business, setting the standard for excellence in today’s competitive market. Their continued success is a testament to their ability to drive sustainable growth and lead with purpose in an ever-evolving landscape"[/i]

The BGI 2025 reveals that perceptions of sustainability remain integral to CEO reputation. There is a strong correlation between a company’s sustainability efforts and the public perception of its CEO, with nearly half of the variation in CEO reputation attributed to how committed to sustainability the CEO is perceived to be.

However, this year’s findings highlight a shift in priorities. The most critical driver of CEO reputation is now ‘cares about employees’, reflecting heightened expectations for empathy in leadership amid economic uncertainty, mental health challenges, and rapid technological changes. Other key drivers include ‘positive change’, ‘trustworthy’, ‘customer needs’, and ‘sustainability’.

Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Bridging the gap between marketing and finance, Brand Finance evaluates the strength of brands and quantifies their financial value to help organisations make strategic decisions.

Headquartered in London, Brand Finance operates in over 25 countries. Every year, Brand Finance conducts more than 6,000 brand valuations, supported by original market research, and publishes over 100 reports which rank brands across all sectors and countries.

Brand Finance also operates the Global Brand Equity Monitor, conducting original market research annually on 6,000 brands, surveying more than 175,000 respondents across 41 countries and 31 industry sectors. By combining perceptual data from the Global Brand Equity Monitor with data from its valuation database — the largest brand value database in the world — Brand Finance equips ambitious brand leaders with the data, analytics, and the strategic guidance they need to enhance brand and business value.

In addition to calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics evaluating marketing investment, stakeholder equity, and business performance, compliant with ISO 20671.

Brand Finance is a regulated accountancy firm and a committed leader in the standardisation of the brand valuation industry. Brand Finance was the first to be certified by independent auditors as compliant with both ISO 10668 and ISO 20671 and has received the official endorsement of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) in the United States.

Brand is defined as a marketing-related intangible asset including, but not limited to, names, terms, signs, symbols, logos, and designs, intended to identify goods, services, or entities, creating distinctive images and associations in the minds of stakeholders, thereby generating economic benefits.

Brand strength is the efficacy of a brand’s performance on intangible measures relative to its competitors. Brand Finance evaluates brand strength in a process compliant with ISO 20671, looking at Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and the impact of those on Business Performance. The data used is derived from Brand Finance’s proprietary market research programme and from publicly available sources.

Each brand is assigned a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score out of 100, which feeds into the brand value calculation. Based on the score, each brand is assigned a corresponding Brand Rating up to AAA+ in a format similar to a credit rating.

Brand Finance calculates the values of brands in its rankings using the Royalty Relief approach – a brand valuation method compliant with the industry standards set in ISO 10668. It involves estimating the likely future revenues that are attributable to a brand by calculating a royalty rate that would be charged for its use, to arrive at a ‘brand value’ understood as a net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market.

The steps in this process are as follows:

1 Calculate brand strength using a balanced scorecard of metrics assessing Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and Business Performance. Brand strength is expressed as a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score on a scale of 0 to 100.

2 Determine royalty range for each industry, reflecting the importance of brand to purchasing decisions. In luxury, the maximum percentage is high, while in extractive industry, where goods are often commoditised, it is lower. This is done by reviewing comparable licensing agreements sourced from Brand Finance’s extensive database.

3 Calculate royalty rate. The BSI score is applied to the royalty range to arrive at a royalty rate. For example, if the royalty range in a sector is 0-5% and a brand has a BSI score of 80 out of 100, then an appropriate royalty rate for the use of this brand in the given sector will be 4%.

4 Determine brand-specific revenues by estimating a proportion of parent company revenues attributable to a brand.

5 Determine forecast revenues using a function of historic revenues, equity analyst forecasts, and economic growth rates.

6 Apply the royalty rate to the forecast revenues to derive brand revenues.

7 Discount post-tax brand revenues to a net present value which equals the brand value.

Brand Finance has produced this study with an independent and unbiased analysis. The values derived and opinions presented in this study are based on publicly available information and certain assumptions that Brand Finance used where such data was deficient or unclear. Brand Finance accepts no responsibility and will not be liable in the event that the publicly available information relied upon is subsequently found to be inaccurate. The opinions and financial analysis expressed in the study are not to be construed as providing investment or business advice. Brand Finance does not intend the study to be relied upon for any reason and excludes all liability to any body, government, or organisation.

The data presented in this study form part of Brand Finance’s proprietary database, are provided for the benefit of the media, and are not to be used in part or in full for any commercial or technical purpose without written permission from Brand Finance.