Sung-Joo Kim is chairperson and CEO of Sungjoo Group/MCM Group. Kim has been involved in the fashion industry for more than 20 years. The Sunjoo Group operates more than 100 stores in Korea, and since 1990 has been the country's exclusive franchisee for globally renowned brands such as Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Sonia Rykiel, and Marks & Spencer. The company has also acquired MCM's global business, which distributes to more than 150 retailers in 40 countries. Kim was named one of the top 20 most powerful international businesswomen by World Economic Forum in 1999, one of the seven most powerful women in Asia by Asiaweek in 2001, and one of the top 50 women to watch by the Wall Street Journal in 2004. In 2007 she was the Asian American Federation's honoree of the year. Kim is actively involved in several nonprofit, charity, and cultural organizations, including Save the Children and Asia House UK, and is actively involved in many prominent women’s organizations.