Two SK execs land at Virgin Mobile USA

Following its $25 million investment in Virgin Mobile USA Inc., SK Telecom landed two spots on the company’s board. The mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) has appointed Richard Chin, president of SK Telecom Americas, and Sungwon Suh, executive VP and head of global strategy and investment for SK Telecom, to its board of directors.
The news comes shortly after Virgin Mobile USA’s $38 million purchase of rival MVNO Helio L.L.C., which was largely owned by SK Telecom.
“The addition of SK Telecom as a key strategic partner and subsequent appointment of Sungwon and Richard to our board will provide us with additional insight and experience with innovative services, opening new avenues for Virgin Mobile USA to strengthen its position in the market,” said Dan Schulman, Virgin Mobile USA CEO. “SK Telecom is the leading wireless provider in Korea and known around the world for advancing the industry on a global scale. We look forward to tapping into this expertise and personal contributions of Sungwon and Richard. Both gentlemen have valuable telecom industry experience that we are eager to acquire.”
In his role with SK Telecom Americas, a U.S. subsidiary of the Korean provider, Chin oversees all U.S. businesses and works to develop a U.S. market entrance strategy. Suh oversees SK Telecom’s overall globalization drive via partnerships and M&A activities, and was also a board member for Helio.