Samsung Electronics is in discussions with Mauro Porcini, a globally renowned industrial designer, to appoint him as the chief design officer, industry sources said Thursday.
If finalized, Porcini would become the first CDO in the tech giant’s history since its founding in 1969.
Until now, the head of the Design Management Center at Samsung Electronics' Device eXperience division has been held by mobile business chief Roh Tae-moon. However, with Porcini being granted independent status as a CDO, it is highly likely that the design organization’s status will also likely be elevated.
Porcini is known for spearheading design-led innovation at global companies such as 3M and PepsiCo. In 2012, he was the only designer named to Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list, and he was also awarded Italy’s national merit honor for elevating the country’s design reputation on the global stage.
Samsung promotes foreign executives almost every year. In a regular executive reshuffle in 2023, Charlie Zhang was promoted to senior vice president of the Advanced Communications Research Center at Samsung Research.
yeeun@heraldcorp.com
