Young Sohn, corporate president and chief strategy officer of consumer electronics producer Samsung who ranked fourth on last year’s Global Corporate Venturing Powerlist, was interviewed by James Mawson, founder and chief executive of Mawsonia and editor-in-chief of GCV.
Sohn leads the Global Tech for Good scheme, a new partnership with the United Nations Development Program, which seeks to achieve Sustainable Development Goals through innovative technology. He has additionally taken the GCV Leadership Society chairman position.
Sohn oversees Samsung divisions including Samsung Catalyst Fund, Samsung Venture Investment and mergers and acquisitions, and he stressed that they ultimately represent one brand with the same objectives.
Reflecting on the “data is the new oil” idea, Sohn said Samsung focused on three trends: digital coin, biotech and semiconductors – more specifically, areas such as gene sequencing, lasers and quantum computing – that can solve issues surrounding sustainability.
Sohn noted: “We are responsible for our brand, and sustainability will be more important going forward. Entrepreneurs can have a big and positive impact on our world, and I hope we can encourage and educate more startups to attain these goals.”
