Samsung Biologics CEO focuses on global business

John Rim, chief executive of Samsung BioLogics will directly lead his company's global sales operations for biopharmaceuticals through contract development and manufacturing. The section serving the company's contract development organization (CDO) affairs also received an upgrade to focus on business expansion.

Industry sources on Wednesday said Rim decided to concurrently lead global sales operations in addition to serving as CEO, succeeding in the position James Park, a former executive at Bristol-Myers Squibb who suddenly left Samsung Biologics late last year. For the CEO of a Samsung Group affiliate to concurrently hold another position is unprecedented.

"The CEO manages a large multinational pharmaceutical company, so a positive effect is expected (from his concurrent position)," a Samsung Biologics source said.

The section serving the CDO was also upgraded from "CDO manager" to "center." The company usually employs a vice president-level executive for the job, as the first head of its CDO Development Center was Samsung Biologics Vice President Kang Ja-hoon, formerly executive director of Hanmi Pharmaceutical and the global pharmaceutical giant Novartis.

Write to Jae-Young Han at jyhan@hankyung.com