Tim Baxter, who helped lead Samsung to U.S. tech industry prominence, is retiring from his post as president and CEO of Samsung Electronics North America.
His official end date is June 1, when he will be succeeded by Young Hoon Eom, deputy head of the business unit.
“After 12 amazing years with Samsung Electronics America, I have decided to retire from the company on June 1st,” Baxter announced on LinkedIn. “As I reflect on my time at Samsung, I am proud of the countless innovative products and solutions that we’ve delivered to our loyal consumers and customers. It is the people and the partnerships that have made my journey here so rewarding and for that I am truly grateful. Over the next four months I’ll be transitioning leadership to my friend and colleague YH Eom, who has been co-leading the organization with me for the past two years. I look forward to following Samsung’s continued leadership and success in the years to come.”
During Baxter’s tenure Samsung, through a combination of product design, sales prowess and price promotion, became the U.S. leader in TVs and Android mobile phones, and a major player in the home appliance market.
In a statement issued to TWICE, a Samsung spokesperson praised Baxter as “an exceptional business leader who has helped define Samsung as an innovator in the consumer electronics industry. We wish him all the best and thank him for his many contributions to Samsung.”
Baxter joined Samsung in 2006 from Sony as sales and marketing executive VP of the company’s Consumer Electronics Division (CED). Within three years he was promoted to president of the group, along with Young who was named co-president, and three years after that was appointed president of Samsung Electronics America sales, marketing and operations, heading the consumer and enterprise business divisions.
In 2014 he was named president/COO of a newly expanded Samsung Electronics America, encompassing both electronics and mobile phones, and was promoted to his current post in 2017, overseeing a $30-plus billion business in the U.S. and Canada spanning CE, mobile and major appliances across the consumer and enterprise channels.
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Young rejoined Baxter at that time after serving as president/CEO of Samsung Electronics Europe. “Samsung has a strong management team in place through the region,” he said in a statement, “and we will continue to grow our business while providing our customers in North America with the products and experiences they have come to expect of the Samsung brand.”
Baxter put in 10 years at Sony, rising to strategic marketing senior VP, and before that spent 13 years in the residential phone businesses of AT&T and Lucent.
