Team Cookie CEO Taejoon Ryu Named to Campaign Asia’s 40 Under 40

Team Cookie CEO Taejoon Ryu was selected for Campaign Asia’s 40 Under 40, making him the sole Korean honoree on this year’s Asia-Pacific list. The recognition follows Team Cookie’s two wins at the 2026 Asia-Pacific PR Awards and highlights the agency’s push to connect Korean startups with global markets.

Why it matters: - Taejoon Ryu’s selection puts a Korea-based startup communications leader on one of the region’s most visible communications lists. - The honor reinforces Team Cookie’s positioning as a cross-border PR shop serving Korean startups and global tech companies. - The recognition follows a strong awards run for Team Cookie, which can help the agency’s credibility with founders, investors and international partners.

What happened: - Team Cookie announced that CEO Taejoon Ryu was selected for Campaign Asia’s 40 Under 40. - Ryu is the only Korean honoree on this year’s list. - Campaign Asia’s 40 Under 40 is an annual recognition from Campaign, a communications trade publication, and it is in its 14th year. - The list honors 40 leaders under 40 across Asia-Pacific for work in marketing, creative strategy, communications and business leadership. - Team Cookie said the announcement came on June 23, 2026.

The details: - The 40 Under 40 program covers leaders from South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, India, Australia and New Zealand. - Candidates are judged on results, innovation and leadership potential. - Ryu holds a Media Studies degree from Kyung Hee University and an MBA from KAIST. - His career has included work at LG Electronics, journalism roles at Newspim and CBS News Korea, business development at a fintech security firm, a K-beauty MCN, and co-founding a Korea-U.S. SaaS startup. - Ryu currently serves as CEO of Team Cookie and vice president of the International Association of AI Ethics. - The Korea PR Association named Ryu a “Rising Star” in 2024. - Team Cookie was founded in 2022 by Ryu and Lim Ki-tae. - The consultancy operates across South Korea, the United States and Singapore. - Team Cookie works with companies in SaaS, generative AI, physical AI, robotics, neo-cloud, Web3 gaming, cybersecurity, legal tech, edtech, streaming platforms, K-pop entertainment tech, HR tech, fintech, adtech, healthcare, retail commerce, food tech, subculture startups, brand builders, martech and short-form MCN. - The agency’s partner roster includes Korean venture capital firms, Europe’s largest accelerator, top K-beauty companies and a search fund M&A platform. - On June 11, 2026, Team Cookie won a Silver in the B2B Campaign category and a Bronze in the Public Education category at the 25th Asia-Pacific PR Awards. - Those wins marked the agency’s third consecutive year of recognition on the global stage.

Between the lines: - The award suggests Team Cookie’s work is moving beyond domestic PR into a broader APAC and global communications niche. - Ryu’s background across media, startups and tech suggests the agency is leaning on operator experience as much as classic PR expertise. - The combination of awards and market coverage points to a firm trying to build a reputation as a go-between for Korean innovation and overseas commercialization.

What’s next: - Team Cookie says it plans to keep helping Korean startups with international go-to-market strategy. - The agency also wants to guide global tech companies entering the Korean market. - Ryu said Team Cookie will continue building positioning for investor relations, recruitment branding and product PR for companies with strong technology but weak storytelling. - More information and the company’s social page are available online.

The bottom line: - Ryu’s selection gives Team Cookie a new external validation point as the agency tries to grow as a bridge between Korean startups and global tech markets.