H.E. Emilia GATTO
Ambassador at Italian Embassy SeoulGraduated in Political Science at La Sapienza University of Rome, she joined the Italian diplomatic career in 1990. After her first assignments in the Press and Information Service and in the General Directorate of Economic Affairs at the Foreign Ministry, in 1993 she was appointed Second Secretary in Bangkok (Thailand). In 1999 she returned to Rome for a second assignment at the General Directorate of Economic Affairs. In 2003, she served as Commercial Counselor in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) and subsequently, since 2005, as Counselor at the Permanent Mission to the OECD in Paris. In 2009 she returned to Rome as Head of the VII Office (NGO) at the Directorate General for Development Cooperation. In 2013 she was appointed First Counselor and subsequently Minister Counselor at the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. In 2016 she assumed the role of Consul General in Paris and in 2021 she was appointed Ambassador to Niger, where she served until taking on the role of Ambassador of Italy to the Republic of Korea.
Currently she is Ambassador of Italy to the Republic of Korea from 11th September 2023. Since 2014 Official Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
Isabel Puig Palerm
CEO and CSO of IKEA Korea LTDIsabel Puig Palerm is the CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer of IKEA Korea LTD since September 2023.
She had served as a senior lawyer and legal adviser in Spain and the United States. In 2014, she joined the Inca Group, which operates IKEA Retail in 31 countries worldwide, and worked as the Global Co-worker Relations Leader. From then on, she served as both Area Manager and Country People & Culture manager for three years in Belgium, gaining an extensive understanding of the home furnishing market experience. As a deputy representative of IKEA France since January last year, she has led the development of the organization's business processes, management, and cooperation.
Heeyoung Chung
General Manager at LEGO KoreaHeeyoung Chung is the General Manager of the LEGO Group, overseeing overall company’s business in Korea from 2023. Her career began at Daewoo Corporation as a steel trader, before transitioning to marketing upon completing her MBA in 2002. Heeyoung has held leadership roles in marketing and sales across diverse sectors, including healthcare, consumer goods, and oil & gas, with companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Philips, and Coupang, spanning roles in the U.S., Singapore, and Korea.
In 2018, Heeyoung joined the LEGO Group as Marketing Director in Korea, where her strategic insights and leadership have contributed significantly to the brand's growth in Korea.
She holds a bachelor's degree in mass communication from Yonsei University and an MBA from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.