Rachel Lee

Building Leadership Teams for High-Growth Businesses | Executive Recruiting Director @ Coupang | Former Founder & Global Operator

South Korea

About

Executive recruiter with the mindset of an entrepreneur and the experience of a global operator. My career spans entrepreneurship, business operations, and executive recruiting, giving me a unique perspective on how organizations scale and the leadership required to drive growth. Before moving into executive recruiting, I built and operated my own business, led country-level operations, and managed global operational initiatives across multinational organizations. Today, I partner with senior executives on leadership hiring, talent strategy, succession planning, and organizational capability building. Having built businesses and led operations myself, I approach executive hiring as a business decision—not simply a recruiting process.

Experience

  • Coupang (6 yrs 1 mo)
    • Director, Executive & Leadership Talent Acquisition
      Apr 2026 - Present · 4 mos

      Partner with senior executives and business leaders to build leadership teams across some of Coupang's most critical organizations. Key Areas Supported: • Retail • Rocket Growth (Marketplace) • Coupang Pay • Financial Services • Coupang Eats • Legal • Government Relations • Tax • Finance • Human Resources • International Expansion (Taiwan, Japan) Key Contributions: • Lead VP and executive-level searches across business, corporate, and regulated functions • Partner with senior leadership teams on executive talent strategy and organizational capability building • Advise leaders on succession planning, executive assessment, and external talent benchmarking • Conduct executive market mapping and engage leadership talent globally • Support organizational build-outs for high-growth and newly established business functions • Supported leadership hiring and organizational design efforts related to Taiwan market expansion • Influence and close highly sought-after executive talent in competitive global markets • Serve as a trusted advisor to business leaders on leadership talent decisions

    • Principal II, Global Executive Recruiting
      Mar 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 5 mos

    • Principal, Global Executive Recruiting
      Aug 2022 - Mar 2024 · 1 yr 8 mos

  • Senior Manager, Global Operations & Supply Chain at WeWork
    Jul 2019 - Sep 2020 · 1 yr 3 mos

    Led global sourcing, supply chain, and operational initiatives across multiple regions during a period of rapid international growth. • Managed global sourcing and vendor strategies across multiple categories • Led large-scale cross-functional projects involving Design, Engineering, Construction, and Operations teams • Drove cost optimization, operational efficiency, and supplier performance initiatives • Built relationships with senior stakeholders across global business functions • Supported the infrastructure and operational requirements of a fast-scaling global organization

  • Korea Representative / Operations & Supply Chain at Humanscale
    Jan 2011 - Nov 2019 · 8 yrs 11 mos

    Served as the primary business representative for the Korea market, overseeing local operations and acting as a key liaison between headquarters and the regional market. • Supported market development and business growth initiatives in Korea • Led supply chain, operational, and customer-facing activities • Built relationships with key partners and stakeholders • Executed local business objectives in alignment with global strategy • Contributed to the establishment and scaling of the business in the Korean market

  • Founder, E-commerce Business (Health & Beauty) at Self-Employed
    Jul 2006 - Dec 2010 · 4 yrs 6 mos

    Founded and operated an e-commerce business focused on health, wellness, and beauty products. Built the business from the ground up and managed all aspects of operations, including sales, sourcing, marketing, distribution, customer acquisition, and supplier relationships. • Launched and scaled a profitable e-commerce business • Developed sourcing partnerships with domestic and international suppliers • Managed both B2C and wholesale distribution channels • Led pricing, inventory planning, merchandising, and promotional activities • Successfully grew sales through major Korean commerce platforms • Developed strong commercial, negotiation, and business development capabilities through hands-on entrepreneurial experience