Hyundai Achieves Record High Female Executive Ratio and Salaries

According to foreign media reports, in 2024, the proportion of women in Hyundai Motor Company's executive team reached a historic high. After accounting for performance bonuses, the average income of female executives surpassed that of their male counterparts. As per Hyundai's latest 2025 sustainability report and regulatory filings submitted to the South Korean Financial Supervisory Service, the company had 64 female executives globally as of last year, an increase of five from 2023, representing 7.9% of all executives, the highest ratio to date. In 2024, although the average base salary of male executives at Hyundai reached 363.76 million KRW (approximately 265,800 USD), slightly higher than the 353.37 million KRW of female executives, the total annual compensation for female executives, including performance bonuses, was higher; the average total annual salary for female executives was 495.78 million KRW, surpassing male executives' 462.84 million KRW by 32.93 million KRW. A similar trend is observed in the compensation of regular employees. In 2024, the average salary (including bonuses) for female employees at Hyundai was 61.24 million KRW, higher than the 58.95 million KRW for male employees. Additionally, the overall number of female employees at Hyundai is also increasing. Between 2020 and 2024, the number of female employees grew by 36.2%, from 10,412 to 14,185, while the number of male employees grew by 10.2% during the same period. Consequently, the proportion of women among Hyundai's global workforce has risen from 8.6% in 2020 to 11.2% in 2024. However, regional data shows varying rates of change. The number of female executives at Hyundai's South Korean headquarters increased from 14 in 2020 to 21 in 2024; in North America, it rose from 11 to 27; in Europe, from 2 to 8; and last year, the company appointed its first female executive in India. In contrast, due to sales difficulties, the number of female executives in China decreased from 8 to 3. Furthermore, the representation of women in technical and leadership roles at Hyundai continues to rise; data shows that in 2024, women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) positions accounted for 5.2%, a significant increase from 4% in 2020. The proportion of female managers also climbed from 6.8% to 11.7%. Hyundai has set a goal to significantly increase the representation of women in senior positions by 2030; specifically, in South Korea, the company aims to double the proportion of women in managerial and above positions (including R&D and executives) to 15% compared to the 2023 level, while the target for overseas markets is to reach a 27% representation of women in equivalent management positions, an increase of 10 percentage points from the current level.