Kwon takes over CEO post at Samsung Electronics


Samsung Group announced on Thursday that it has made its flagship electronics arm’s vice chairman and chief executive Choi Gee-sung the head of the group’s corporate strategy office, a de facto control tower of the nation’s top conglomerate.

The group also named Samsung Electronics’ other vice chairman Kwon Oh-hyun as the new CEO of the world’s top television and smartphone maker, ending the so-called “two-top” system with Choi.

“Since Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Kun-hee returned from his business trip in Europe, he has been stating that a revolutionary change that could open a new business era is needed,” said the group’s chief communications officer Rhee In-yong in a briefing. 

“Choi has been appointed as the new head of the strategic planning unit for his global mindset in devising business tactics, fast decision-making skills and his ability to efficiently run the organization.”

Choi will be replacing the group’s former corporate strategy unit head Kim Soon-taek, who has submitted his resignation to chairman Lee due to health problems, according to Rhee.

Kim has been overseeing the corporate strategy office, drafting mid- and long-term business schemes as well as new growth engines since November 2010.

“He has been frequently talking about his physical burden as work piled up in terms of future business plans and new growth projects,” he said.

For the flagship electronics unit, Kwon will act as the chief executive but focus on duties involving device solutions. Television and home appliances chief Yoon Boo-keun and mobile and IT chief Shin Jong-kyun will be responsible for the company’s set businesses, said Samsung officials.

“The two divisions ― set and device solutions ― have been operated independently since last July and it will be run that way in the future as well,” said Rhee, adding that there will be no additional reshuffling of its executives.

In December 2010, Samsung Group made public its decision to reconstruct the corporate strategy office, formerly called the planning and strategy department, which was shut down amid a scandal involving slush funds and illegal bond transactions at the country’s biggest conglomerate in 2008.

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)