Samsung’s first CIO David Eun to focus on new vision

Samsung Electronics recently appointed David Eun, president of Samsung NEXT, as the tech giant’s first chief innovation officer, according to the industry on Tuesday.

The latest appointment and creation of the new position are seen by the industry as a sign of aggressive investments in startups and new businesses under the leadership of heir apparent Lee Jae-yong.

Harvard graduate Eun joined Samsung in 2011 after working at Google. In late 2012, he was tapped to head Silicon Valley-based Samsung Next in charge of partnerships and investments in startups. 

Regarding the creation of the new CIO post, Eun said it affirms how important innovation is for Samsung, according to an internal interview held at Samsung NEXT.

Samsung invests more than $12 billion a year in R&D and is No. 2 in the US in terms of filing and receiving patents, the executive highlighted.

The new CIO suggested he would lead development of a new vision for Samsung for the next five years and more.

“As chief innovation officer, one of the things I will increasingly focus on is trying to develop a vision for what Samsung Electronics could be five years from now and beyond,” Eun said.

By Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com)