Johannes Baillou, chairman of the board of partners at E. Merck KG, the holding company of Merck Group, visited the Korea Electronics Show at Ilsan Kintex and the 15th World Knowledge Forum at Hotel Shilla on Tuesday.

It is his first visit to Korea since he was inaugurated as chairman in January. He was a member of the family board of E. Merck KG from 1994 and is now leading the Merck family, along with Merck Group’s board chairman Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp.

During his visit, Baillou participated in the opening ceremony of the Korea Electronics Show, the biggest IT event in Korea, accompanied by local government officials and industry executives. 

The chairman stopped by Merck’s booth at the event to take a look at the company’s products using next-generation display technologies such as Merck Smart Energy Glass and electronic materials made by AZ, a firm Merck recently acquired.

Baillou attended the 15th World Knowledge Forum ― Asia’s largest business forum ― to deliver a special lecture on Merck’s strategy and the key to its 346 years of success in business.

He also shared know-how on allowing a company to grow and survive to become a long-lasting enterprise in Korea. After he delivered the lecture, he sat down for in-depth discussions with other domestic and international business leaders who were at the forum.

Merck Group, founded by Friedrich Jacob Merck in 1668, is the world’s oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company.

Starting out as a small pharmacy in Germany’s city of Hessen, the group has grown to become a global company with annual sales of 11.1 billion euros ($14.1 billion) in 66 countries.

By Lee Hee-ju (hjlee0301@heraldcorp.com)