Samsung annual exec reshuffle seemingly on hold ahead of major reform

Samsung Electronics has yet to make any announcements regarding its annual organizational reshuffle, but the company’s leadership could go through a major reform in the near future. Sources cited by The Korea Herald claim that Samsung Electronics has remained silent on the matter because of the ongoing legal issues involving de facto leader Lee Jae-yong and over 30 executives.Industry watchers are uncertain of how the company’s leadership will look like next year, but also believe that some executives, including DJ Koh, will retain their current responsibilities. Samsung usually announces its annual organizational reshuffle in early December but the company is now running late.Samsung Electronics could go through a major organizational reformSamsung heir Lee Jae-yong and dozens of executives are embroiled in a legal battle involving bribery, and their case wasn’t made easier when three executive vice presidents were recently found to attempt to destroy evidence supporting the claim of fraud.An industry official cited by The Korea Times claims that Lee will need to show he is at least making efforts to renew the organization somehow to avoid imprisonment. A judge already ordered Lee Jae-yong to strengthen Samsung’s compliance unit to ensure that the company is capable of adhering to external rules and meet regulatory demands.Given the current situation, some industry watchers believe that Samsung Electronics could go through a major organizational reform, which is why the annual reshuffling appears to have been put on hold. Then again, this isn’t the first time when the annual reshuffle has been delayed because of (the same) legal disputes. Either way, even if a major reform will take place, industry watchers believe that Samsung’s Device Solutions, Mobile Communications, and Consumer Electronics divisions will likely continue to be led by Kim Ki-nam, DJ Koh, and Kim Hyun-suk, respectively.