Kwon Seon-joo / Courtesy of KB Financial Group

KB Financial Group appointed Kwon Seon-joo as chairperson of the group's board of directors, according to the group, Monday.

Kwon is the first woman to chair the top decision-making body of the group, a feat reinforced further by her stint as the first woman to be CEO of the state-run Industrial Bank of Korea from December 2013 to December 2016. She was the first woman ever to lead a bank in Korea.

The appointment fortifies KB Financial's continued group-wide efforts toward diversity, as exemplified by more women being outside directors at the firm and having a greater say in board meetings.

Last year, three women were appointed as outside directors for KB Financial's board. The remaining four outside directors are men, with the women-to-men ratio now standing at 42.8 percent.

Kwon has extensive knowledge and understanding of the financial market, especially in the fields of risk management and consumer protection.

Her experience includes heading the Korean chapter of Women Corporate Directors, the world's largest membership organization whose members are on over 8,500 public and private boards around the world.

The appointment of Kwon will bolster the group's governance structure and board diversity — key parts of inclusive growth under KB Diversity 2027, the group's medium to long-term growth plan.

Born in 1956, Kwon holds a bachelor's degree in English language and literature at Yonsei University.