Samsungs 10-million seller man gets promotion

By Kim Yoo-chul

Samsung Group promoted 489 executives below-president positions in its year-end shakeup, a move aimed at bringing a more youthful influence to its apparatus.

Although the children of its leader Lee Kun-hee got most of the spotlight for their move up the corporate ladder, one that may represent the spirit of the massive promotions is Lee Min-hyouk, 38, who is now the youngest among Samsung’s 1,800-plus executives.

Lee is not an ordinary executive but a designer, whose contribution to Samsung's smartphone design was cited for his leap into the executive ranks.

He also designed two of the three mobile phones that sold over 10 million, gaining the nickname "10 million seller man."

His promotion also belies two principles Samsung utilized that can be easily set apart from the promotions of the other star players in Korea's biggest conglomerate.

First, Lee Kun-hee obviously tried to translate into action his vow to make his organization young.

Second, Lee saw the importance in the mobile business in Samsung’s future portfolio.

A dilemma facing LG Electronics after one miscued approach in the smartphone business provides unequivocal evidence that doesn't need many words to describe.

The Samsung leader also understands how design is a pivotal feature in a successful smartphone.

``I feel a huge responsibility. It’s true that Samsung is hiring more designers and allocating increased resources to design management,’’ said the executive in an exclusive interview with The Korea Times, Thursday.

Lee had earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial design from Kyunghee University in Seoul. He joined Samsung’s design team in 2001.

``Samsung has been moving toward software, with design playing a pivotal part in this transition,’’ said Lee.

Samsung has been steadily increasing the number of its design workforce to meet the rising demands of consumers for more value-added products with sleeker designs and more practical user-interface (UI).

A focus on design has helped Samsung earn greater global recognition as seen in the increasing number of awards presented to its products.

``We are stressing our own customized interface features as a distinguishing factor ahead of our rivals,’’ Lee said.

While Samsung only trails Finland-based handset giant Nokia in the overall handset industry, it still falls far behind its biggest smartphone rival Apple.

Lee’s promotion was thought to be extraordinary by some even inside Samsung because of the conglomerate’s conservative management style.

Strong sales of its first-ever smartphone, Galaxy S, and the tablet PC, the Galaxy Tab, propelled him in his field. “Our company rewards employees in proportion to his or her task performance and I am the proof of it,” he said.

Lee handled the overall design of the Galaxy S, which is 9.9 millimeters in thickness and weighs 121 grams, while he helped the Galaxy Tab maximize hardware and software applications within just a 7-inch sized LCD screen.

For six months since late May, some 8.7 million Android-based Galaxy S’s have been sold, making Samsung the world’s fourth-biggest smartphone maker, according to a market research firm Gartner.

Sales of the Tab ― Samsung’s answer to Apple’s 9.7-inch iPad ― went past the 1-million mark this month.

Samsung sales results show that the Tab has proven to be popular as well, market analysts and company officials said.

``I am glad to get favorable consumer responses for our product design. Design is like the DNA of a product and many good responses to it will help consolidate our product evolution at that very basic level,’’ Lee said.

``In a meeting with Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Choi Gee-sung, I was tasked to further strengthen research and development (R&D) and design-related capabilities,’’ he added.

Two of the Samsung’s three ``10 million sellers’’ ― nicknamed the Benz phone and the Blueblack phone were the hallmarks of his design ability.

``I consciously keep away from other handset models when I design in order to draw creative and unique ones,’’ said Lee.

He is currently busy preparing another critical project for the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, early next year, and the Mobile World Congress (MWC), in February, in Spain.

[단독] 삼성 최연소 상무 인터뷰

삼성그룹이 지난 8일 단행한 임원 인사에서 차장에서 단숨에 승진한 30대에 관심이 모아졌다.

38세의 젊은 휴대폰 디자이너 이민혁 전 무선사업부 디자인그룹 수석이 바로 그 주인공.

이민혁 상무는 9일 코리아타임스와 단독 인터뷰를 갖고 ``무거운 책임감을 느낀다’’며 ``삼성전자의 디자인 경영이 더 힘을 받을 수 있기를 기대한다’’고 말했다.

경희대 산업디자인학과를 졸업하고 1996년 삼성자동차에 입사한 뒤 2001년 삼성전자 무선디자인팀에 합류한 그는 차장에서 상무로 승진했다.

통상 삼성전자 인사는 부장에서 상무까지 4년, 상무에서 전무까지는 6년 정도가 소요된다. 이 상무는 스마트폰 디자인 부문의 탁월한 성과를 높이 인정받아 4년 발탁의 영예를 차지했다.

그는 승진 배경을 묻는 기자의 질문에 ``아무래도 갤럭시S와 갤럭시탭의 초기 성과가 좋았기 때문’’이라며 ``삼성전자의 소프트 파워 강화에 디자인이 큰 기여를 할 수 있을 것’’이라고 자신감을 내비쳤다.

이 상무는 이어 ``최지성 부회장께서 향후 연구개발쪽에 더 역량을 집중하라고 격려했다’’며 ``초심과 일관성을 잃지 않고 디자인 역량 강화에도 힘을 쏟겠다’’는 포부를 밝혔다.

또 ``삼성은 핸드폰과 태블릿 PC등에서 보다 진일보한 사용자 환경을 구축하기 위해 노력하고 있다’’며 ``많은 소비자들이 갤럭시S와 갤럭시탭 등 삼성의 전략 모바일제품에 대해 긍정적인 반응을 보여주고 있는 것은 무척 고무적인 일’’이라고 말했다.

이 상무는 삼성내에서 `마이더스의 손’으로 불린다. 삼성전자가 배출해 낸 3종류의 `텐 밀리언 셀러’ 중 2종이 그의 손을 거쳤기 때문.

2005년에 출시된 `블루블랙폰’은 1천300만대 이상이 팔렸으며 2004년에 출시된 `벤츠폰’은 1천200만대의 누적판매량을 기록했다.

이 상무는 올해 갤럭시S의 디자인을 책임졌다. 혁신적인 UI(사용자환경)를 구현, 갤럭시S의 붐업에 큰 힘을 보탰다. 삼성전자의 첫 스마트폰인 갤럭시S는 두께 9.9 밀리미터, 무게 121 그램의 초슬림, 초경량 디자인을 자랑한다.

이 상무는 ``보통 새로운 제품을 디자인 할때는 다른 제품을 보지 않는 편’’이라며 ``대신 보다 독특하고 창의적인 제품을 디자인 하는데 집중한다’’고 웃으며 말했다.

그는 이어 ``이번달 22일부터 중요한 프로젝트가 있어 기뻐할 시간도 없다’’며 ``앞으로 열심히 하는 모습 지켜봐 달라’’고 당부했다.