LG Electronics makes raft of news hires, upgrades key departments to divisions

South Korean LG Electronics has announced a series of new appointments as it aims to target greater growth and customer satisfaction moving into 2022, while also elevating certain critical departments to division level in order to supply them with greater resources.
LG’s chief strategy officer (CSO) since 2019, William Cho, will become the company’s new CEO as of 1 December. While CSO, Cho fostered new business opportunities via in-house agreements and LG’s Business Incubation Centre, the company said.
Before being CSO, Cho previously worked for six years as CEO of LG North America, where he created new business ventures with start-up partners. LG has solar module manufacturing capacity in the US and the company has been a loud voice in calls to extend the controversial Section 201 tariffs of crystalline silicon solar PV cells and modules.
LG is also elevating departments to division levels as it eyes future growth and development opportunities. The M&A department will be elevated under control of the CSO for more resources, while its AI Big Data department will also be upgraded to a division under its chief data officer (CDO).
Other notable appointments include Kim Byoung-hoon as chief technology officer (CTO). Currently the head of the Future Technology Centre, Kim is being promoted to executive vice president (VP) and will assume the roles of both CTO as well as the new ‘Information and Communication Technology’ leadership position.
Jang Ik-hwan is being promoted from senior VP to executive VP and will take up the top position at the ‘LG Business Solutions Company’ after growing the company’s IT business unit significantly, according to a LG media release.
“Going forward, the new leadership team will accelerate changes focusing even more on customer value in pursuit of growth with each business unit assuming greater responsibility,” LG said.
In order to do this, LG will revamp its ‘Customer Satisfaction Management Centre’ into the new ‘Customer Value Innovation Office’ (CVIO) that will “more effectively identify an incorporate customer feedback and pain points into product planning, development and sales processes”.
All appointments are to take effect on 1 December, with promotion occurring on 1 January 2022.