Samsung Electronics appoints its 1st Woman president

Samsung Electronics on Monday promoted a woman executive to the president of global marketing for its mobile business, in the first move to tap a women talent for the top post.

Lee Young-hee was promoted to the president of the Global Marketing Center for Samsung’s Device eXperience (DX) division that oversees its mobile business.

She is the first woman president at Samsung, the country’s biggest conglomerate, to come from outside the founding family, reports Yonhap news agency.

Lee Boo-jin, the first daughter of late Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee, is currently serving as the president and chief executive of Hotel Shilla, a Samsung affiliate.

Lee Young-hee joined the tech giant in 2007 and was promoted to vice president in 2012. Previously working at L’Oreal, she is credited with successfully promoting the image and brand of Samsung’s Galaxy mobile phones.

Samsung expected the promotion to serve as a chance for other talented women employees to challenge themselves to climb career ladders.

She is among seven new presidents, part of a small-scale corporate reshuffle conducted for the first time since the group’s de facto leader Lee Jae-yong was promoted to executive chairman of the company in October.

Samsung did not appoint a new head for its home appliance unit, a position that has been vacant since Lee Jae-seung resigned in October for undisclosed “personal reasons.”

Han Jong-hee, vice chair and co-CEO at Samsung, will continue to assume the additional duty following Lee’s departure for the time being, Samsung said.

(WIth inputs from INAS)