Hanwha Q Cells said Monday that its CEO Lee Ku-hyung has been appointed the 14th chairman of the Korea New and Renewable Energy Association, a business lobby with some 420 member companies.

Lee, who joined Hanwha Group in 1990, has served key positions at the group’s solar solutions unit Hanwha Q Cells, formerly Hanwha SolarOne, since 2011 and was promoted to the top position in September last year.

Lee, whose term is three years, is expected to lead the association based on years of experience at Hanwha Q Cells, which has secured first place for almost five years in the commercial and residential solar panel market in the US.

The KNREA was established in 2001 for the development of the country’s renewable energy sector and to protect its interests. More recently, the organization supports global expansion of member companies and facilitating deregulation.