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Samsung has appointed a new mobile boss, Roh Tae-moon. CEO Koh Dong-jin will remain the CEO of IT & mobile communications.
At 51, Roh is Samsung’s youngest-ever president. Previously, he worked as a smartphone development specialist for the Galaxy series. Understandably, he has many achievements under his belt.
Notable amongst them is the outsourcing of smartphone production which allowed the company to cut cost and increase the competitiveness of its products.
He is also credited for the work he did for the Galaxy range. It’s worth mentioning that both the Galaxy S10 and Note 10 ranges sold in more numbers than their predecessors. Similarly, the renewed focus on mid-range models has also reportedly helped the company revive shipments.
Samsung is currently the number one smartphone vendor. Rising competition from Chinese companies like Huawei is perceived as a threat to its dominant position.
Samsung acknowledges that the competition is getting tougher. Although the South Korean giant sold most 5G smartphones than any other vendor in 2019, it will probably find it difficult to maintain its lead this year.
New Mobile Boss Expected To Rejuvenate Samsung
Numerous manufacturers have announced plans to release affordable 5G phones this year. Huawei is competing aggressively in its home market of China, now that the U.S. ban has essentially paralyzed its business in the rest of the world.
Sure, the company cans still sell its phones in other countries, but without Google apps and services, demand is bound to get affected.
At the same time, mobile manufacturers are exploring new form factors. While some like Samsung are creating foldable phones, others like Microsoft are focusing on dual-screen ones.
Either way, the market is changing and Samsung’s recent corporate shakeup is apparently a result of that. The new mobile boss is reportedly very decisive. His ability to respond quickly to challenges is what Samsung supposedly believe will help it defend its crown.
Samsung hopes that Roh will come up with strategies to breathe a new life into the company. CEO Koh, on the other hand, will take care of the broader issues and lead the overall mobile and telecommunications gear business.
The idea is that the CEOs will create synergy between the different units and find new business opportunities. This will help boost the growth of the organization.
Samsung Is Also Getting Serious About The Networking Business
As for what Roh will bring to the table remains to be seen. After all, he is just getting started and will likely make his debut as the mobile boss on public stage next month during the Unpacked event.
But what we do know is Samsung is betting heavily on 5G and foldable phones to retain its lead. But then, 5G is on the agenda of almost all other vendors. And thanks to chipmakers like Qualcomm and MediaTek, the task has been made easier.
Thus, we will have to wait and see how exactly he plans to differentiate Samsung branded phones from the rest of the pack.
Samsung has also promoted the former network business chief Cheun Kyung-whoon to president. The company supposedly wants to take advantage of the turmoil Huawei is in to turn the networking wing into a major business unit.