Samsung doesn’t mess with success

Samsung Electronics has opted to stick with the status quo when it comes to the business organization.

The tech giant yesterday announced an organizational restructuring plan for the new year with few notable changes.

A year earlier, the Suwon-based company realigned its business into three divisions - Device Solutions, Consumer Electronics (CE) and Information Technology and Mobile Communications (IM). After a successful year, especially with mobile phones, the company decided to retain the three-pronged system, with two of the three units having the same leaders.

Yoon Boo-keun, head of CE division, and Shin Jong-kyun, head of IM division, will stay on with the same titles, according to Samsung’s presidential reshuffle announced last week. Kim Ki-nam, former Samsung Display president, will lead the semiconductor lab of the DS unit, instead of Jun Dong-soo, who will head Samsung SDS.

Still, smaller changes have accompanied some business units. The semiconductor lab of the DS unit will create a so-called solution development room to bolster memory solution business. The System LSI lab has added a modem development room.

The company also created the Big Data Center under its existing Media Solution Center, to strengthen analysis of the fast-growing big data market.

To back up its camera business, Samsung created the Imaging Business team under its Wireless Business unit. The Imaging Business team will expand the camera business pursued previously under the smaller Digital Imaging unit.

Samsung said it also decided to expand its Global B2B Center.

After the presidential and executives’ reshuffle last week, the company yesterday announced more personnel changes, which saw the new leadership at five of 10 overseas headquarters.

Lee Jong-seok, an executive vice president who was heading the Samsung Telecommunications America, will also head Samsung Electronics North America.

Two other executive vice presidents, Bae Kyung-tae, and Lee Sun-woo, were named to lead sales in Korea and Europe, respectively. Two senior vice presidents, Kim Moon-soo, and Lee Choong-ro, are new sales representatives in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, respectively.

Kim Seok-pil, sales chief of Europe, was called back to head the inaugurated B2B Center, while Park Kwang-kee, former sales chief of Southeast Asia, will head the video strategy marketing of the Visual Display unit.

BY MOON GWANG-LIP [joe@joongang.co.kr]