CJ Group adviser Noh Hee-young, an influential tastemaker, has offered to step down from her post, the company said Wednesday.

The 51-year-old businesswoman has been considered a key confidante of CJ vice chairwoman Lee Mie-kyung. Lee is the de facto chief of the nation’s top food-maker as group chairman Lee Jae-hyun has been handed a prison sentence for tax evasion and embezzlement.

“Noh has contributed much to beefing up CJ’s competitiveness in marketing and design. We hope to continue our collaboration in the future,” CJ Group stated. 

Noh, who joined the food and lifestyle company in 2010, cited health problems as the reason for her decision, but industry watchers suggest that her indictment on embezzlement charges may have played a part. The prosecutors indicted Noh on Monday for evading about 500 million won ($480,000) in taxes after an investigation that began in April.

Noh was one of the most celebrated marketers in her industry. She was appointed vice president of CJ Cheiljedang and CEO adviser of CJ Foodville in June, despite the ongoing investigation, reflecting the management’s high regard for her.

On top of this, she was largely responsible for CJ’s global expansion in the food and restaurant business, including bibimbap diner Bibigo’s opening in London, the establishment of CJ Town in Beijing and others. She is also credited with refining CJ’s integrated brand image and promoting it through CJ’s cable network channels.

Having been hailed as one of Korea’s top restaurateurs in the 1990s with the successful operation of several diners, including Gung and Homyeondang in the upmarket Cheongdam-dong area of southern Seoul, Noh entered the corporate world by joining Orion Group in 2007. She helped the confectionary firm advance into the mid to high-end restaurant sector with Market O outlets and retail Market O snacks before moving to CJ.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)