2024 Van Fleet Award Honorees

Accepted b

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Yoon Soo (Gene) Yoon
Chairman of the Board
FILA Holdings Corp. & Acushnet Holdings Corp.

Gene Yoon, also known in Korean as Yoon Soo Yoon, is the Chairman of the Board of Italian sportswear company FILA Holdings Corp. and American golf product company Acushnet Holdings Corp., which owns the Titleist and FootJoy trademarks. He is widely credited with not only introducing FILA to the Korean market in 1991, but also restoring its global popularity, having acquired the global brand trademark in 2007 and reintroduced ‘90s classics like the Disruptor sneaker as vintage-inspired FILA designs have been a hit with younger generations.

Before establishing himself as a businessman in his home country of South Korea, Gene Yoon’s studies took him from Seoul High School to Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, where he majored in political science and diplomacy. His career began in earnest in 1973 with a stint at Korea Shipping Corp., before he joined JCPenney as a Korea-based distributor in 1975 and then took on the position of export director for international trading and shoe company Hwaseung Co. in the early ‘80s.

Gene Yoon’s FILA journey started in 1991 when he led the brand’s entry into South Korea with the foundation of FILA Korea, which grew into the role of global cornerstone for FILA Group. In 2005, it achieved management independence before taking over the global FILA business in 2007.

Accepted by

Seri Pak
CO-CEO of BAZ International
Chairman of SERI PAK Hope Foundation

In 1998, during the IMF crisis when South Koreans were struggling, she won a dramatic victory at the US Women's Open, a major event of the LPGA, with her ‘miracle barefoot shot’, providing courage, hope and comfort to the nation.

Until her retirement, she achieved a total of 25 victories on the LPGA Tour, including 5 major wins, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2007. Inspired by her success in the US, young Korean female golfers, known as "Seri Kids," began their careers, subsequently raising the profile of Korean women's golf on the LPGA Tour.

In 2016, as the coach of the women's golf team at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, held for the first time in 116 years, she led the team to a gold medal, once again moving the nation.

In 2020, Seri Pak received the Bob Jones Award from the USGA, which is considered the Nobel Prize in golf, for her contributions to the sport. This award placed her alongside golf legends like Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, as well as former US President George H. W. Bush, who made significant contributions to golf.

In 2024, Seri Pak became the first Korean player to host an LPGA Tour event named after her, the "FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship," providing a new tournament for many golfers around the world to experience.

Additionally, Seri Pak was selected by the American economic magazine "Business Insider" as one of the 36 symbolic figures who contributed to the development of women's sports globally, being the only Asian player on the list. After retirement, she has been active as a businesswoman, promoting the popularization of golf and the development of the sports industry through golf and sports marketing. Through the Seri Pak Hope Foundation, she annually hosts junior golf tournaments in the US and Korea, nurturing junior golfers. Domestically, she is active as a businesswoman, entertainer, and commentator, leading the way in promoting "K-Golf" beyond K-pop, K-beauty, and K-food.