Samsung Electronics moves to secure top talents across industries

[Photo by Lee Chung-woo]

Samsung Electronics Co. has assembled a lineup of top talents with diverse backgrounds, ranging from former employees of multinational corporations and public organizations to former employees from competitors. This initiative is part of the company’s efforts to realize future strategies in artificial intelligence (AI), environmental management, and chip technologies.

According to the quarterly report filed by Samsung Electronics on Wednesday, Executive Vice President Ryu Kyung-dong is currently serving at the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology. Born in 1970, Ryu previously worked as a software engineer at International Business Machines Corp., LG Electronics Inc., and Google LLC. He is best known for his time serving as the director of Google’s Android automotive department. Ryu, a graduate of Seoul National University with a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Maryland, is expected to conduct research related to AI in line with Samsung’s recent foray into the AI market with its own AI model, Gauss.

In response to increasing client demands for decarbonization amid the global net-zero trend, the South Korean electronics giant has also recruited talent in the environmental management field.

Corporate Executive Vice President Shin Chong-kyu, formerly employed at environmental management services Veolia Environnement SA, now serves as an executive in charge of infrastructure technology at the company’s Device Solutions (DS) division, which covers the semiconductor business. Born in 1969, Shin graduated from Sogang University, obtained a Ph.D. in chemistry from the Technical University of Munich, and worked on water treatment research during his time at LG NanoH2O Inc. and LG Chem Ltd. from 2014 to 2021.

The recruitment of external talents also reflects the company’s strategic move to maintain its lead in the semiconductor sector, widening the gap with other players. Corporate Vice President Lee Ji-seok, who currently serves as an executive at the company’s foundry manufacturing technology center, formerly served as the director at global semiconductor equipment company Lam Research Corp. after earning a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Stanford University.

Former Fusion-io LLC fellow Hyun Jae-woong now serves as an executive at the memory strategy marketing office, and former research director at Panjit International Inc. Lee Seung-chul is serving in an executive position within the company’s DS division.

The company also recruited staff from the public sector, including a former senior officer at the Korea Land and Housing Corporation. This recruitment is believed to be connected to Samsung Electronics’ investment of 300 trillion won ($230 billion) in the development of an advanced system semiconductor cluster in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.

Samsung Electronics has also recruited talents in other fields, including mobile, video display, and home appliances. Vice President Ahn Yoo-jung at the design management center is known for designing the prototype of Google’s self-driving car. Ahn, who previously managed the design of home appliances at LG Electronics, moved to Motorola Inc. in 2006 to design mobile devices. Ahn designed autonomous vehicles at Waymo LLC, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.

With Ryu and Shin’s appointments, Samsung Electronics has hired three LG alumni as vice presidents in the second and third quarters of 2023.