(image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Nov. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — Samsung Group’s non-technology affiliates are expected to reshuffle key personnel in the near future as the conglomerate’s flagship Samsung Electronics Co. named new leadership last week, industry watchers said Sunday.
Last week, the family-controlled conglomerates’ technology affiliates, also including Samsung Display Co. and Samsung SDS Co., named new CEOs for their businesses. Samsung Electronics tapped younger chiefs for its chips, handsets and home appliances businesses.
The move was significant as Samsung used to announce a groupwide reshuffle through a control tower. The conglomerate’s decision-making unit, however, was dismantled earlier this year after Samsung was embroiled in a corruption scandal that led to the impeachment of the country’s president.
“Management-level reshuffles for financial, construction and manufacturing affiliates should take place shortly,” a Samsung official said, although saying there are no specific movements at present.
Industry watchers, however, said considering Samsung Electronics’ reshuffle was made a month earlier than usual, other affiliates may speed up changes to stabilize their leadership structures and prepare for the new year.
As Samsung also established what it calls a task force of electronics affiliates, industry watchers said similar organizations could be set up among other financial or construction arms as well. The team was widely seen as a miniature version of the now-defunct control tower.
Others, however, said that while Samsung Electronics, Samsung Display and Samsung SDI need to cooperate closely for the production of smartphones, other companies do not necessary call for such cooperation.
Samsung Electronics, meanwhile, expected to continue naming younger officials to its key posts.
Last week, Samsung named President Kim Ki-nam to head the device solutions division, which oversees the crucial chip business. President Kim Hyun-suk was named to head the consumer electronics division, and President Koh Dong-jin was tapped as the new head of the IT and mobile division. The three are all in their 50s.
The former heads of the chip, handset and home appliances divisions, who are all in their 60s, were all named to non-management posts. Kwon Oh-hyun, former head of the chip division, was named the chairman of the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology.
Yoon Boo-keun, former head of the consumer electronics business, was promoted to vice chairman for Samsung’s corporate-relations matters. Shin Jong-kyun, who headed the mobile arm of the tech giant, was appointed the vice chairman for the company’s human resources development.
(Yonhap)
