The in-vehicle display giant changes its leader!

Samsung Electronics' electric vehicle subsidiary Harman has replaced its CEO after a lapse of 5 years. According to industry insiders on March 4, Harman International recently held a board meeting to elect Christian Sobotka, the automotive division, as the new CEO. Five years have passed since Samsung Electronics replaced Harman's CEO in April 2020.
Sobotka's CEO is a veteran in the automotive industry with 25 years of experience. He served as the chief technology officer (CTO) and chief executive officer (CEO) of Bosch, a leading company in the automotive parts industry. He then joined Harman in 2021 and has been leading key departments. Regarding the appointment of the new CEO, Harman explained that since serving as president of key departments, he has transformed the company's business into a product- and software-centric model, driven innovation in luxury car experience, and obtained important partnerships. Son Young-kwon, chairman of Harman's board of directors, said: "I believe that the new CEO's rich experience and outstanding performance will make him the ideal leader to lead Harman into the future."
Under the leadership of the new leader, Harman is expected to focus on expanding its business. According to the industry, Harman, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics responsible for the battlefield audio business, achieved an operating profit of 1.3 trillion won last year, and achieved a profit of more than 1 trillion won after the previous year (1.17 trillion won). In 2017, the first year after Samsung Electronics acquired Harman, its operating profit was only 60 billion won, but it achieved rapid growth in just 7 years. Samsung Electronics has been paying attention to Harman's growth and actively supporting Harman, including changing the key business team to the "Harman Cooperation Team" during the reorganization at the end of last year. This is interpreted as an intention to actively attack the mobile travel market together with Harman.