Large Personnel Shake-up at Samsung Electronics

“Dream Team” left intact with Chairman Lee’s son and two daughters promoted to presidents and vice president

Samsung Group has carried out a massive reshuffle, promoting Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s only son Lee Jae-yong, 42, and eldest daughter Lee Boo-jin, 40, to presidents at Samsung Group subsidiaries Friday, ushering in a power shift to the third-generation of the Samsung founder’s family.
In a year-end reshuffle of Samsung Group executives, Samsung Electronics President & CEO Choi Gee-sung was promoted to vice chairman and retained the CEO position. Samsung Mobile Display President Kang Ho-moon was also promoted to vice chairman in charge of the Samsung China Headquarters. Choi has been credited with his roles in making Samsung Electronics the global No. 1 TV set maker and for building the foundation to become the top global mobile gadget maker, said a group spokesman, adding that he will push for strengthening capabilities in the global semiconductor market and a foundation for developing new businesses.
Samsung Electronics Executive Vice President and COO Lee Jae-yong was promoted to president of Samsung Electronics and remained chief operating officer. Lee Boo-jin, who was senior vice president of Hotel Shilla and Everland, was named president and CEO of Hotel Shilla, and president of Samsung Everland Inc. She will also serve as an advisor to Samsung C&T Corp.
Seven others were promoted to presidents at Samsung Group subsidiaries. Samsung Electronics Executive Vice President Woo Nam-sung and Jin Dong-soo were promoted to president in charge of system LSI (large scale integration) and president in charge of memory, respectively. Executive Vice President Kim Jae-kwon of Samsung Electronics was promoted to president of Samsung LED, while Executive Vice President Kim Jong-jung of Samsung Electronics Work Support Office was promoted to president and CEO of Samsung Fine Chemical. Samsung SDS Executive Vice President Koh Soon-dong, Samsung Total Executive Vice President Sohn Won-suk and Executive Vice President Kim Shin of Samsung C&T Trade Division each were promoted to president and CEO of the subsidiaries.
Five of the nine new presidents were tapped from among those who were promoted to executive vice president less than one year ago, making the presidents and CEOs of the group’s subsidiaries young and innovative, and in particular, Executive Vice President Kim Jae-kwon who became CEO only nine years since being promoted to director, the spokesman said.
In the reshuffle, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman and CEO Lee Woon-woo was stripped of his CEO position, while Cho Soo-in, president in charge of memory at Samsung Electronics, and Park Sang-jin, chief of the digital imaging division, were made Samsung SMD president & CEO and Samsung SDI president & CEO, respectively. Samsung SDI President & CEO Choi Chi-hoon and Samsung China Head Office President Park Keun-hee were named Samsung Card president & CEO and president in charge of insurance at Samsung Life Insurance, respectively. Ji Sung-ha, president & CEO in charge of trade at Samsung C&T, and Samsung SDS President & CEO Kim In, were transferred to president in charge of sports at the Samsung Group and president & CEO of the Samsung Lions, respectively.
The spokesman said the committees on investment examination, brand management and personnel changes under the control of the existing group subsidiary presidents’ consultation committee will be integrated into the new Future Strategy Committee, to be supported by the group’s new management control tower, the Future Strategy Office. As a result, the Future Strategy Office, the New Business Exploration Corps and the Law-abiding Management will be under the control of the group subsidiary presidents’ consultation committee.
Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Kim Soon-taek, chairman of the Future Strategy Office, will chair the Future Strategy Committee, which will be comprised of the presidents of the group subsidiaries and the chiefs of major teams of the Future Strategy Office, the spokesman said. Kim will also head the New Business Exploration Corps, which will be charged with the group’s push for exploring new businesses.
The heads of the six teams of the Future Strategy Office are Executive Director Chun Yong-bae, chief of the Management Support Team; President Lee Sang-hoon, chief of the 1st Strategy Team; Executive Director Kim Myung-soo, chief of the 2nd Strategy Team; President Chang Chung-ki, chief of the Communications Team; Executive Vice President Chung Yu-sung, chief of the Personnel Support Team; and Executive Director Lee Young-ho, chief of the Management Evaluation Team.
The Legal Affairs Office, under the control of the group subsidiary presidents’ consultation committee, will be reshaped into the Law-abiding Management Office, which will assume additional responsibilities related to compliance, and President Kim Sang-kyun will continue to head the renewed office.
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS’ ‘DREAM TEAM’ ― Samsung Electronics decided to keep intact the existing eight-division management system. The chiefs of the semiconductor, LCD, visual display, and mobile divisions ― President Kwon Oh-yeon, President Jang Won-ki, President Yoon Bu-keun, and President Shin Jong-kyun ― were retained while Executive Vice President Hong Chang-wan, the head of the life & home appliance division, and Executive Vice President Nam Sung-woo, the chief of the IT solution business division, were kept intact
But the two divisions held a change of command: Executive Vice President Kim Young-ki was appointed the chief of the network business division, replacing Executive Vice President Kim Un-seop, while Chung Yeon-ho, the leader of the support team at the mobile division, was promoted to head the digital imaging division, replacing Park Sang-jin, who was promoted to the president & CEO of Samsung SDI.
The digital air solution business team in charge of air-conditioner business and Samsung Gwangju Electronics were integrated into the life & home appliance division, and the set-top box business team in the network business division was merged into the visual display business division in order to have synergetic effects.
President Shin Jong-kwan, chief of the mobile division, will be also charged with overseeing the network business division. nw

(From left) Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Choi Gee-sung,; Samsung Electronics President & COO Lee Jae-yong,; President Yoon Ju-hwa,; President Kwon Oh-yeon in charge of semiconductor,; President Chang Won-ki (LCD),; President Yoon Boo-keun (video display), President Shin Jong-kyun (mobile communications), President Jun Dong-soo (memory).

(From left) Executive Vice President Nam Seong-woo (IT solution),; Executive Vice President Hong Chang-wan (life& home appliance),; Executive Vice President Chung Hyeon-ho (digital imaging), Shilla Hotel President Lee Boo-jin, Cheil Industries Executive Vice President Lee Seo-yeon,; Samsung China Vice Chairman Kang Ho-moon,; Samung SDS President Koh Soon-dong,; Executive Director Kim Myung-soo of Samsung Future Strategy Office.

(from left) Samsung C&T President Kim Shin,; Samsung LED President Kim Jae-kwon,; Samsung Fine Chemicals President Kim Jong-joong,; Samsung Total President Son Seog-weon,; Samsung Electronics President Woo Nam-seong in charge of System LSI,; President Lee Sang-hoon, of the Samsung Future Strategy Office,; Executive Director Lee Young-ho, of the Samsung Future Strategy Office,; President Chang Chung-ki, in charge of communications at the Samsung Future Strategy Office,; Executive Vice President Kim Young-ky (network),;; Executive Director Jun Yong-bae, of the Samsung Future Strategy Office,; and Executive Vice President Jung Yoo-sung, of the Samsung Future Strategy Office.