Asia-Pacific Power List 2020: Younghee Lee, Samsung

Younghee Lee

EVP & head of Global Marketing Center
Samsung Electronics
Korea
Returning member

Coming to Samsung Electronics via L’Oreal and Unilever, Younghee Lee’s consumer and beauty goods background has helped to make Samsung’s marketing more human and relatable to more people. Since joining the brand in 2007, the CMO has been on a mission to shatter Apple’s self-bestowed role as the curator of cool and to make Samsung’s messaging just as iconic.

Under the brand’s ‘Do What You Can’t’ mantra we have indeed been treated to amazing work such as ‘Ostrich’ and ‘Human Nature’. We’ve seen Samsung’s purpose-driven efforts and putting technology to work against real human problems like dyslexia, autism and depression.

“We’ve come to realise that the more technology has become important, the more humanity is essential to win consumers’ hearts and souls,” Lee told Campaign in 2018. 

One can easily see that the company’s marketing work is as much about inspiring success as it is about pure social purpose, something Lee has attributed to closely following the aspirations of Gen Z who dream big, but also live to the fullest as well. 

While Samsung has had its share of controversies, it remains unassailable in its brand power, especially in this region, where it has held a lock on the number one spot in Asia’s Top 1000 Brands for years. And Lee has proven her versatility at the company, initially playing a pivotal role in building the Galaxy smartphone brand, then being promoted to EVP in 2012 to lead marketing for both mobile and IT. Her role continues to evolve and has shifted to other areas of the business beyond mobile. She now heads Samsung’s Global Marketing Center, overseeing all products and corporate marketing strategies, including home appliances and TVs.