Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
Samsung SDI CEO vows to lead battery market
Samsung SDI CEO Choi Yoon-ho speaks during a meeting with employees at the company's headquarters in Giheung, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. Courtesy of Samsung SDI
By Baek Byung-yeul
By Baek Byung-yeul
Choi Yoon-ho, who took office recently as CEO of Samsung SDI, vowed to keep focusing on the technological gap with other competitors based on its quality batteries, the company said Monday.
The battery maker said Choi had his first meeting with employees at the company's Giheung headquarters in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. During the meeting, the CEO stressed that the EV battery maker “needs to develop next-generation batteries and materials and achieve a super gap in technology with innovative and safety methods.”
Stating that “opportunities for growth are open no matter what difficult business environment we face, and only prepared companies capture the chances,” Choi said that “the real No.1 is a company that achieves profitable qualitative growth based on super-gap technology competitiveness and the best quality."
On Dec. 7, Samsung SDI said it appointed Choi, chief financial officer of Samsung Electronics, as its new CEO, while its CEO Jun Young-hyun was promoted to vice chairman and will lead the company's board as its new chairman.
Appointing the senior executive of Samsung Electronics as CEO of Samsung SDI is interpreted as Samsung Group chief Lee Jae-yong expressing his willingness to support the growth of the battery business, which has been relatively sidelined compared to Samsung Group's core businesses such as semiconductors and biotechnology.
“In order to achieve the long-term goal of becoming the real top player, it is necessary to secure talented professionals and establish an employee training system. It is also important to innovate the organizational culture so that communication and collaboration can proceed ceaselessly,” Choi told employees.