Ex-Samsung CEO named MS Korea chief

Alfred S. Koh, Microsoft Korea CEO

By Kim Yoo-chul

Alfred S. Koh, a former CEO of Samsung SDS, has been appointed to the top position of Microsoft (MS) Korea.

Announcing the appointment on Monday, the U.S.-based software tech giant said that it expects its new MS Korea CEO to make efforts to foster innovation and bring global changes to the Korean unit.

MS Korea’s top position has been vacant since Koh’s predecessor, James Kim, moved to General Motors Korea to serve as the automaker’s chief executive.

“People are the most important asset for a successful corporation and throughout my career I have tried single-handedly to make employees feel passionate about their work. They are part of an organization that takes care of its people and society at large,” Koh, 57, said.

“For me, success is all about teamwork and putting customers at the center of everything we do.”

During his term as CEO of Samsung SDS, a Samsung Group affiliate specializing in IT solutions, Koh was regarded as a right-hand man of the group’s heir Lee Jae-yong.

Koh was named Samsung SDS CEO in December 2010 but was pushed back to a secondary position in late 2013.

The Korean-American helped SDS expand overseas, focusing on engineering outsourcing and logistics.

Despite his foreign nationality, Samsung Group let Koh handle key business tasks under the care of Samsung heir Lee, who is the biggest stakeholder in Samsung SDS. At Samsung, it is rare for non-Koreans to be appointed CEO or president of a group division or affiliate.

Market watchers pointed out that Koh’s appointment is part of MS’s plan to strengthen its partnership with Samsung, one of the U.S. company’s biggest business partners.

Samsung pays billions of dollars to MS in royalties, while the two companies are collaborating on future business projects such as VR and cloud computing, in addition to other business-to-business (B2B) initiatives.

Koh said he aims to promote more MS products to big clients in Korea.

“Many customers in Korea have huge opportunities to optimize their use of technology, and MS’s solutions can help those customers be more successful,” he said.

Koh is the latest in a series of senior executives to join MS. In January 2015, Thiyagu Letchumanan left his role as managing director for Hewlett-Packard Malaysia to handle MS’s enterprise sales team in Malaysia.

Koh will report to MS Asia Pacific President Cesar Cernuda.

“The respect that Koh has garnered from the industry speaks of his deep knowledge of challenges facing customers and partners,” MS quoted Cernuda as saying.

“I look forward to seeing him put his depth of experience with customers, partners and employees to work.”

Koh obtained an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis in the U.S. in 1983. He graduated from Yonsei University in 1981 after studying management. He also worked for IBM for 20 years.