Daewoo E&C overhauls structure under new CEO, expands urban renewal and adds data center team

Daewoo Engineering & Construction carried out a reorganization and executive reshuffle Thursday, with a focus on strengthening its long-term competitiveness.

The restructuring — the first since CEO Lee Kang-seok took the helm — aims to sharpen the company's edge in strategic growth areas such as data centers and urban renewal, while upgrading risk management for large-scale projects. Daewoo E&C said the overhaul is designed to actively identify businesses that will drive sustained growth, while streamlining management and support functions to focus on their core roles.

Under the reorganization, the urban renewal team previously housed under the building division will be expanded into three separate units: Urban Renewal Team 1, Urban Renewal Team 2, and an Urban Renewal Management Team. The company said it plans to develop urban renewal into a core strategic business, citing expectations that this year will mark a record high for new orders in the segment.

Daewoo E&C also established a dedicated data center business team, which it plans to develop into a key growth engine for the AI era. A company official said additional hiring will follow as a result of the reorganization.

The company also plans to concentrate resources on several major projects currently in preparation — including the Gadeokdo New Airport, the Dukovany nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic, and LNG projects in Papua New Guinea and Mozambique — while proactively managing potential risks that may arise during execution. To strengthen risk management, the project management team within the strategic planning division will be subdivided into three units covering building, civil engineering and plant projects.

The company also prioritized securing expertise in safety, quality and technology. Daewoo E&C established a new Safety and Quality Headquarters to serve as a control tower integrating all safety- and quality-related functions. The company said it will reinforce site-level quality management support and build a company-wide monitoring system to prevent serious accidents and quality incidents before they occur.

Changes were also made to the research and development organization as part of an effort to realize what the company calls "technology-driven Daewoo." Research units previously scattered across individual business divisions will be consolidated under the Technology Research Institute to pool technical support capabilities and strengthen the development and delivery of technologies that can be applied directly on-site.

The company said this year's executive appointments were made without regard to seniority or regional background, instead prioritizing individual capability, expertise and performance. It added that it will continue to build an organizational culture that values actual job performance and results over rank or years of service, and will place talent with relevant expertise in the right roles.

"This reorganization and personnel reshuffle are intended to proactively respond to the rapidly changing construction industry environment and support the company's continued growth," a Daewoo E&C official said. "We will lay the foundation for sustainable growth through the expansion of strategic businesses, proactive risk management for large projects, stronger safety and quality competitiveness, and expanded on-site technical support — and we aim to become a company trusted by both our employees and our customers." The official added that placing people based on individual capability, expertise and performance should allow each organization to operate with greater dynamism.

Earlier, Lee outlined his vision at his inauguration ceremony Friday, pledging to expand the company's overseas market presence, identify new businesses in areas such as AI infrastructure, data centers and robotics, and pursue strategic mergers and acquisitions and investment when necessary.