Samsung Electronics carried out 200 promotions from its personnel review on executives with rankings that are lower than vice-president. It has been 4 years since it last carried out more than 200 promotions. This amount of promotion is a result of Samsung Electronics’ greatest annual performance and it was reconfirmed of its meritocracy as it had 99 executives promoted just from DS (Device Solutions) Business. Vice-presidents who are in their early 50s are newly appointed, and Samsung Electronics also continued its keynote for a change in generations as it carried out promotions by selection. Samsung Electronics is going to carry out reorganization and assignment shortly and finish this year’s personnel reviews and reorganization.
Samsung Electronics carried out periodic personnel reviews on the 16th on executives and masters for the year of 2018.
Total number of executives that are promoted is 221 and it is composed of 27 vice-presidents, 60 executive directors, 118 directors, 1 fellow, and 15 masters.
It has been 4 years since it last carried out more than 200 promotions. While it had 240 executives and 224 promoted in 2012 and 2013 respectively, number of promotions was reduced to 165 and 135 in 2014 and 2015 respectively due to downward trend of its performance. It skipped its end-of-the-year period personnel review last year as it was involved in Choi Soon-sil’s national monopoly incident and it carried out a small personnel review in May of this year that saw 96 executives promoted.
Keynotes for this year’s personnel review on executives are meritocracy and change in generations just like personnel review on presidents.
It reconfirmed its meritocracy principle as it promoted whopping 99 executives just from DS Business that produced its biggest performance this year. 58, 57, and 41 executives were promoted from DS Business in 2015, 2016, and May of 2017 respectively. DS Business saw more than 50% of its executives that are promoted coming from R&D, which has been the foundation of its biggest performance.
Samsung Electronics also produced promotions by selection for changes in generations. Promotion by selection is a measure that is taken in order to give energy to different groups and to prepare for opportunities for new take-offs. 12 executives from DS Business were promoted by selection.
It also increased number of executives that are promoted to vice-president positions and deepened a list of candidates for future CEOs who will become presidents in various positions in the future. Numbers of executives who were promoted to vice-president positions in 2015, 2016, and May of 2017 were 18, 12, and 11 respectively and this number jumped to 27 during this personnel review. Average age of executives who are promoted to vice-president positions has become lower to 54. Youngest executive who is promoted to a vice-president position is Vice-President Lee Don-tae and he was born in 1968. Samsung Electronics has also continued its keynote for expanding promotion opportunities for foreign executives and continued promoting more female executives.
Samsung Electronics has been opening more opportunities for foreign executives in order to strengthen diversity of its company. It has accelerated its global management as it promoted many important executives, who have achieved huge results globally, to high-ranking executives. It also announced 7 new female executives in order to make its company more flexible and to hire more female personnel and it has maintained its keynote for promoting female personnel.
It also appointed 1 fellow and 15 masters.
Samsung Electronics finished its personnel review on executive management through its 2018 periodic executive personnel review and it is going to carry out a reorganization and announce newly appointments shortly. On the same day, Samsung Display, Samsung SDS, and Samsung Venture Investment had also carried out their personnel reviews on executives. It is likely that Samsung Electronics’ subsidiaries will also carry out their personnel reviews and reorganizations shortly.
Staff Reporter Kwon, Keonho | wingh1@etnews.com