Mr Yea brings a wealth of diverse executive experience to Kia’s European operations having worked in the automotive industry for almost 30 years. Mr Yea spent his early years at Hyundai Motors Corporation and later Hyundai Motors America. He then joined Kia Motors Corporation in 1999 and has subsequently held a number of senior executive positions, with a special focus on the development of Marketing Strategy and Brand Management. In October 2010, Mr Yea was appointed President of Kia in the Middle East and Africa region, based in Dubai, and has overseen significant growth in these markets over the past year. The 53-year old Mr Yea is married and has two children.
Mr Yea succeeds Mr Sun-Young Kim as President of Kia Motors Europe. Mr Kim, who made a major contribution over the last five years to Kia’s rapid business growth in Europe, is returning to Korea to take up a new position at the corporation’s headquarters.
