To honor International Women’s Day on March 8 and reflect on the value of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), Samsung Newsroom sat down with Samsung employees from different backgrounds ­— from executives to new hires and DEI managers — to hear their thoughts on the company’s thriving DEI culture.

“Diversity is the engine of sustainable growth in a global company, and Samsung is committed to Innovation for All,” said Younghee Lee, President and Chief Marketing Officer of Global Marketing Office at Samsung Electronics.

“As a global company, our brand philosophy emphasizes solving customers’ problems and helping them enjoy a better life with our technology and innovation, regardless of their region, race or gender in any part of the world. We are making an effort to genuinely share this value with customers while supporting our mission throughout the organization,” she said.

Lee urged employees to establish a culture of accepting differences by “listening to colleagues’ opinions and having open discussions so that each person can fully realize their capabilities based on their unique background.”

In celebration of International Women’s Day, she advised women to always be themselves and trust their potential. “I believe that if women challenge themselves and pursue what they truly want — in a way that’s true to who they are, rather than blindly following others — it will be a meaningful step forward not only for them but also for society as a whole.”

As a designer for Samsung Electronics’ Interaction Design Team responsible for inclusive design, Gunho Chae considers the brand’s wide customer base to develop products and services that respect the diversity of all users.

Samsung developed a glossary of terms to inform its inclusive language and created guidelines and training materials so employees are well-equipped to incorporate DEI values into all user interface elements and images.

“Samsung accepts all customers and recognizes their differences — regardless of their age, disability, family structure, gender identity, race, culture or socioeconomic status,” said Chae. “We respect all users and strive to make our products, services, manuals and advertisements relevant to our customers for an enhanced user experience.”

Michelle Anne Manglal-Lan, who oversees DEI at Samsung Electronics America, seeks to create an environment where employees can smoothly communicate, understand and learn from each other. She is particularly committed to providing motivation to female employees and fostering a corporate culture where they feel empowered to unlock their potential. Last year, she organized the Americas Employee Resources Groups (ERGs) conference to establish a network for collaboration and share best practices in DEI.

“The ERGs were born out of our employees’ interest and engagement with DEI,” said Manglal-Lan. “Together, we are stronger and can achieve our goals faster. I’m proud of the fact that our North America Region is the first office to launch an ERG.”

A new employee at Samsung Electronics’ Visual Display (VD) Division, Jiyoon Jang realized the company was more diverse than she had imagined when she first stepped foot in Digital City, Samsung’s Suwon office. “We received DEI training during our new employee onboarding sessions, and I realized the importance of an inclusive culture in a place with such a diverse group of people.”

“I knew Samsung made donations to social responsibility efforts,” she said. “Since joining I also learned that the company is sincerely committed to developing technologies that are truly inclusive.”

Relumino Mode for people with low vision and Audible Subtitles for people who are hard of hearing are among some of the projects the VD Division has developed to make the company’s products more accessible — and align with the department’s slogan, Screens for All.

“I hope the products that I work on in the future will contribute to diversity and inclusion and that I will be able to take pride in what I do,” Jang said. “I believe that discrimination against minorities and intergenerational conflicts stem from ignorance, so I am working hard to educate myself by attending sessions and reading about diversity, equity and inclusion whenever I get the opportunity.”

More than 700 employees took time to thank the female colleagues and family members in their life at another event. At the DX Division’s Female Executives’ workshop, hosted since 2021, female executives held candid conversations with the CEO to discuss the company’s vision and ways to foster female leaders. Additionally, a mentoring program for female developers will be launched this year.

Starting this March, the Device Solutions (DS) Division will organize monthly activities to build awareness of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) values among its employees. After selecting DEI topics centered on women, people with disabilities, caregivers and foreigners, the division will hold contests and training sessions each month that give employees a chance to learn how to show support for one another. Furthermore, the division will conduct interviews with female leaders in celebration of International Women’s Month and relay their thoughts on female leadership and how younger women can grow in their careers.

Outside of Korea, the company will partner with Dress For Success (DFS)[1] in three countries — the U.S., Canada and Mexico — to organize clothing donation drives to help women get jobs and gain financial independence. Webinars and seminars that raise awareness about DEI will be held as well.

Last November, the DX division established the DEI office to reflect DEI values in all areas of the business, identify areas of improvement and further promote an inclusive corporate culture. To this end, the office checks the company’s systems and culture for discriminatory practices and holds training sessions and campaigns to give employees an accurate understanding of these values. In addition, the office supports voluntary Employee Resources Groups (ERGs) dedicated to DEI that facilitate discussions on the company’s diversity status and improvement goals through the DEI Council, in which the company’s executives take part. “It is of the utmost importance to operate a diverse and equitable system. We believe that innovative products and services can emerge from a culture where DEI is respected,” said Jinhee Nam, Secretary General of the DEI Office at Samsung Electronics. “Our office established a global DEI policy and plans to operate various programs to increase diversity and create an inclusive organizational culture.”

Jong-Hee Han, Vice Chairman and CEO of the DX Division at Samsung Electronics, and Kye Hyun Kyung, President and CEO of the DS Division at Samsung Electronics, delivered a company-wide message to employees calling for gender equality and highlighting the importance of DEI in honor of International Women’s Day. “I would like to express my gratitude to all the female employees in the DS Division who are doing their best,” said Kyung. “We will help all employees realize their full potential to achieve both personal and professional growth at Samsung,” Han assured.

[1] Founded in New York City in 1997 to help unemployed and underemployed women achieve economic independence.

As a global leader in technology and innovation, Samsung aims to lead by example and advocate for gender equality and the empowerment of all women in the workplace. What’s more, research shows that workplaces that excel in DEI drive better outcomes for businesses, including better employee engagement, talent retention and higher financial achievements.

▲ (From left) Clara Han from Corporate VP/Head of Group/Procurement Group 2 at Samsung Electronics, Megan Detwiler from Samsung Austin Semiconductor, Manavi Pathak from Samsung R&D Institute India-Bangalore (SRI-B), Adam Eaglefield from Samsung U.K. and Maria Fernanda Gonzalez from Samsung Mexico

In celebration of the global holiday, Samsung Newsroom sat down with employees in Asia, North America, Europe, Southwest Asia and Central and South America to share stories about the company’s DEI culture. Check out the interviews below to learn how Samsung is creating a safe and inclusive workspace for all its employees.

Women Supporting Women Through Open Communication

On top of being the Head of Procurement for Samsung’s Visual Display division, Clara Han is also a working mother of two children in elementary school.

“Although there is now growing movement around men participating in parenthood, women still have difficulty building and continuing their careers uninterrupted due to having children,” said Clara. “As a result, Samsung continuously strives to create a culture where employees can be recognized and grow regardless of gender, nationality or age.”

“We are trying to create an environment where each group member understands and acknowledges the individual differences so that everyone can receive the same opportunities, receive a fair evaluation and perform their best in every situation,” said Clara. “Every voice matters, and having an attitude of listening to everyone positively impacts efficiency and performance at work.”

Megan Detwiler, an engineer at Samsung, became involved with Women in Technology at Samsung (WITS) shortly after she started working at Samsung Austin Semiconductor. Within the program, Megan runs various campaigns to help raise awareness about DEI among employees. While she applauded WITS’ professional development opportunities for women, including industry conferences, classes and monthly meetings, for Megan, the most rewarding part of the program was its sense of community.

“Through WITS, I have been able to connect with people across all aspects of the company, meeting people in technical and non-technical roles, at every level of leadership, from technicians and professionals to vice presidents,” said Megan. “People like that at Samsung, especially in WITS, are invested in ensuring you are set up not just to succeed but truly grow and thrive here.”

“WITS helped me find my voice so that I have not only that confidence but also the courage to amplify other women’s voices as well,” said Megan.

Manavi Pathak, Head of Learning and Organizational Development at Samsung R&D Institute India-Bangalore (SRI-B), is also an active member of the Samsung Women’s Accelerated Network (SWAN). She highlighted how an inclusive workplace successfully meets the needs of the women who work there, noting how Samsung’s DEI initiatives and culture allow talented women to succeed.

“Women are themselves demanding more from work,” said Manavi. “At Samsung R&D Institute India-Bangalore, we have women’s leadership development programs, diversity hiring goals, day care policies, special leave, flexible schedules and more, all of which have supported my professional development and well as the careers of other woman colleagues at Samsung Research.”

“The COVID-19 crisis has reimagined the way we work. More and more women want to work for companies prioritizing cultural change and improving workplace flexibility, including employee wellbeing, diversity, equity and inclusion,” said Manavi. “Companies that rise to the moment will attract and retain woman leaders.”

Adam Eaglefield, an Engagement Team Manager at Samsung Electronics U.K., is also a member of the Women @Samsung ERG and its Male Allies team. This association runs mentorship and networking programs to develop female talent. He says that to realize DEI, the most important part is that we must not only listen to women but also break through unconscious prejudices and understand each other’s point of view.

“Allyship is fundamental in any cause or movement,” said Adam. “In this case, male allies can champion women in the business and industry in all interactions, from working to see representation at senior levels to ensuring women are represented and heard in everyday meetings.”

“As an ally, I make sure that I actively listen to women and their experiences, frustrations, passions and desires,” said Adam. “We must learn more about one another’s perspectives, and our own privileges and unconscious biases, and most importantly, come together to act in a positive way.”

Maria Fernanda Gonzalez, Senior Manager of Public Relations and Communication at Samsung Electronics Mexico, is also a member of Women at Samsung (SEM-S). She spoke about why she appreciated working for a company that actively empowers women and embraces equity.

“Samsung has supported me by giving me all the means to grow, not only by providing me with opportunities to grow in leadership roles but also by giving me the tools to go beyond my goals,” said Maria Fernanda. “I can be an empathetic team player that contributes to the development of my other team members.”

“I am confident that with more strong female leaders who can inspire the next generation of women, we will be able to close the gender gap in the tech industry,” said Maria Fernanda.

Lunch Talk & One Table: Gathering Employee Feedback To Improve Women’s Experiences at Work

To create a work environment that anyone can enjoy, Samsung holds annual events and campaigns for employees all over the world to celebrate special DEI days, including International Women’s Day, International Day of People with Disability and World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. For this year’s International Women’s Day, Samsung’s management and female executives will hold a Lunch Talk meeting to discuss ways to improve DEI. Samsung also will have a One Table event hosted by Jong-Hee Han to listen to the concerns faced by female employees, including female developers and working moms, and to discuss ways to foster female leadership.

The ideas discussed at the meetings will then be delivered to the DEI Secretariat and integrated into organization management. The participants and leaders of each organization will discuss how Samsung can make a consistent effort for gender equality and suggest various opinions to management, ranging from employee mindset to systemic improvement for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Global Women’s Week: Celebrating Diversity, Inclusion and Gender Equality

In celebration of International Women’s Day, Vice Chairman Jong-Hee Han and President and CEO Kye Hyun Kyung deliver a message emphasizing the importance of gender equality and DEI to all employees of the DX Division. Vice Chairman Han underlined the value of diversity, equity and inclusion with his determination to “make an effort to form an organizational culture where all employees from various backgrounds feel that they’re part of the organization.” He emphasized his goal to help employees “fully unleash their potential through equal opportunity.”

▲ Samsung Electronics holds gatherings for female executives and employees around the world , running annual forums and programs for women’s networking and career development.

About 5,000 Samsung worldwide executives and employees worldwide interested in DEI actively participate in Samsung’s 33 ERGs, which offer everything from networking and mentoring to education at ERG. These groups work hard not only to improve the experience of Samsung employees but also to volunteer and give back to the local community. Among them, these large-scale women’s ERGs operate programs for networking and career development of female executives and employees, striving to strengthen women’s capabilities at work.

Every year since 2017, One Family Council has been holding an annual “Pink Box” charity event at Suwon Digital City for young women from low-income families. This year, a “Pink Box” containing DIY keyrings, women’s items and encouraging messages will be delivered to 100 teenagers.

▲ Every year, Samsung Electronics delivers a “Pink Box” containing feminine products for the healthy growth of underprivileged female teenagers.

During the week of International Women’s Day, overseas regional head offices also hold meetings with female employees, DEI webinars with external instructors and panel discussions, in addition to offering vacations for female employees, gift delivery events and more.

Samsung continues to work toward creating a space that goes beyond being just a workplace and fosters employees’ growth by letting them unleash their potential. Samsung’s move toward making an organization where employees and the company can grow together is accelerating the steps toward a better future.

In order to highlight this important day in the global calendar, Samsung Newsroom sat down with three female employees to hear their experiences of fighting the bias, achieving their career goals and helping others to do the same.

Vice President of the Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics, Jaeyeon Jung is the team leader for SmartThings, and not only works hard to bring the best experiences to SmartThings users around the world, but also to help junior colleagues grow.

“It is an unfortunate reality that the proportion of female colleagues to male does decrease as the responsibility a role has increases,” noted Jung. “But just as my bosses evaluated me without prejudice and encouraged me to take on new challenges, I, too, want to share as much as possible with those junior to me and to help them grow without any discrimination based on gender, nationality or age.”

Sumedha Bakhshi, Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Lead for Samsung SWA and Chairperson of the SIEL-S D&I Council, believes that each and every individual possesses unique talents, passions, beliefs and lifestyles. Throughout her career, Bakhshi has had to face stereotypes about the role of the woman in her home country, battling through them to successfully advance her career time and again.

“In one of my previous roles, I faced a lot of resistance when I applied for the role of Quality Leader, since it seemed to go unsaid that women were ‘not good’ with numbers or analytics,” noted Bakhshi. “However, I overcame this prejudice with effort, passion and my own abilities — resulting in my assessment scores being better than all the other applicants, landing me the job. At Samsung now, it feels great to be part of a team that values you for your unique strengths. I have always had the full support of leadership in all the projects I’ve undertaken — my recent promotion within the company was only possible because I was evaluated based on my own abilities alone. Everyone should be given a fair opportunity without discrimination or prejudice.”

Svetlana Chervonnykh manages Soft Skill Development for Samsung partners at Samsung MENA CS, and is steadfast in the belief that an accomplished woman is a happier and a stronger woman. Not only does Chervonnykh have ambitions for her current role in changing people’s perceptions of services, she also dreams of opening a healing retreat for women in order to nurture their inner and outer health.

“I believe that women have secret superpowers thanks to their natural femininity and softness, something that is actually incredibly useful in work environments,” said Chervonnykh. “My immediate boss is the only female leader in the Samsung MENA CS team, and she sets a great example. Among those I work with, regardless of gender, I find everyone very cooperative in fostering a comfortable environment in which to work.”

Breaking the Bias by Fostering Support for All

By fostering a culture that embraces all kinds of diverse talents, Samsung supports all of its members to feel a sense of belonging and to realize their potential based on equal opportunity. Every year on IWD, the company arranges a variety of events for employees all over the globe to highlight this community of respect, inclusion and diversity.

As a celebration of this year’s IWD, Samsung has organized a global campaign amongst its employees to submit photos of them making the IWD’22 official pose — using the arms to form the letter ‘X’ — in order to bring together Samsung employees from all over the world virtually through a collage of solidarity. As well as this, the company has prepared a special IWD video that sees female Samsung employees going about their lives and routines and sharing their support for the IWD cause.

In commemoration of this year’s International Women’s Day, Samsung has launched a campaign to highlight the importance of creating a fair world without prejudices, big or small, in every person’s position.

Furthermore, on March 8, the company is hosting regional lunch webinars beginning with Korea and continuing on in a relay format in Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and North America, with staggered starting times to align with the different time zones. These webinars, held under the theme of ‘Breaking Prejudice and Making a Better World’, will see expert guest speakers share their experiences and engage with employees on the topic of fighting prejudice.

A Better World, Without Prejudice

As well as organizing these special events to commemorate IWD, Samsung continues to work year-round to end discrimination in the workplace and foster an environment where all people can thrive regardless of such factors as their gender.

“We at Samsung will continue to work hard to guide our female employees to find the roles that befit their strengths and capabilities, and help them achieve their career goals,” said Jong-Hee Han, Vice Chairman and CEO at Samsung Electronics’ DX Division. “We will increase our support for our future female leaders through a range of diverse mentoring and networking programs.”

Kyehyun Kyung, CEO and President of Samsung Electronics’ DS Division, also shared a message of support for the company’s employees. “We aim to ensure every member feels a sense of belonging and realizes their full potential by embracing the value of diversity and inclusion.”

In order to celebrate International Women’s Day this March 8, Samsung has put together a compelling campaign capturing the stories of female employees from across the company’s various regions and fields in collaboration with several talented artists. Take a look at the full video here.

Samsung employees from around the world who embody the spirit of achievement through support and embracing diversity. From left to right: Katrina Burns, Samsung Electronics Australia; Vanisri Srikrishna Jallapelli, Samsung R&D Institute India – Bangalore; Miyoung Yoo, Samsung Electronics’ Digital Appliances Business

Achieving Results through Open Communication, Diversity and Respect: Katrina Burns

In the workplace, collaboration and honest communication with everyone, regardless of their background, is imperative. Katrina Burns, who is in charge of designing UX (User Experience) at Samsung Electronics Australia’s Retail Experience & Operations, focuses on yielding results through collaboration and respecting the opinions of all her teammates.

Katrina believes that free discussion and the exchanging of opinions lead to better results. Sometimes, when needing to come up with a new idea, she and her team take a walk in a nearby park, an initiative that she explains provides more flexibility and brings a better energy to discussions.

Katrina’s team is encouraged to take interest in each other’s interests and celebrate each other on their personal achievements, including birthdays. Every Friday, the team makes music playlists across different genres in order to get to know each other’s tastes; what’s more, the team even takes part in a ‘Thank You Friday’ event where they share things that they have been grateful for over the past week.

All these initiatives were introduced by Katrina with one goal in mind – to bring all teammates closer to one another in order to facilitate better results, and to build a support network that spreads consideration to all members. “Trust builds between team members based on the knowledge that each member can ask another for help whenever they need it,” shared Katrina.

Katrina, who was born and raised in New Zealand and spent a number of years working in Australia, has been lucky enough to have many strong women around her to inspire her. She hopes that more women will develop the confidence to go as far as she has; “Women need to remember that they are capable of becoming whoever and whatever they want to be,” she affirmed. “I, myself, aim to become a leader who not only performs well but also improves the lives of those she works with.”

Supporting Growth through Equal Opportunity: Vanisri Srikrishna Jallapelli

No matter how much talent an individual may have, it can never quite be fully realized without the right opportunities. Vanisri Srikrishna Jallapelli, Technical Program Manager of Samsung R&D Institute India – Bangalore, says that the greatest strength of the company is its fair systems and the equal opportunities it offers.

Vanisri first worked on a project with Samsung in 2003 and officially joined the company in September 2008. She was able to fully immerse herself into her work and constantly challenge herself thanks to a company atmosphere that respects and embraces diversity.

Thanks to this culture wherein equal opportunities are given regardless of gender, Vanisri managed to thrive based on the trust and respect of her teammates and team leader. “The prejudice that women cannot excel in the field of technology does not exist at Samsung,” affirmed Vanisri. “Here, women can truly unleash their full potential.”

Vanisri shared that punctuality and continuous, sincere communication are her keys to successful collaboration. She is also grateful that she is now able to assist younger female employees thanks to her own experiences. “When helping other colleagues, I also end up learning new things, and through that, we grow together,” she explained.

Despite her success so far, Vanisri still aspires to achieve more, with her future goal being to become a leader in the technical program management field of Samsung. “Nobody here has rejected me just because I am a woman,” she noted. “I will continue to strive to become an exemplary colleague.”

Inspiring Others through Passion: Miyoung Yoo

Miyoung Yoo, Senior Vice President at Samsung’s Digital Appliances Business in Korea, is regarded as a model leader by many younger colleagues. This is because she continues to follow her dreams and passions by challenging herself to become the best in her field.

Her path to reaching the position she currently holds has not always been a smooth one – as a working mother with two children, it was hard for her at times to find a balance between her work and home lives. However it was through the kind words of her senior colleagues, who assured her that no matter the struggles she faces now, there will come a time when she will be retelling her story with a smile on her face, that she was able to find balance and kept striving to achieve her passions.

Looking back over her experiences, Yoo noted that she has seen positive changes, including improvements in the employee’s childcare management systems and parental leave allowances. She stressed that, in order to further cultivate a culture of diversity and acceptance, it is important that efforts are continued to listen to the voices of people from all backgrounds.

Respecting the diversity of colleagues in the workplace is an essential element of today’s society to help us all develop and work for a better tomorrow. Samsung Electronics considers diversity a priority and works to ensure that every employee feels as if they belong to teams that embrace diverse talent and provide equal opportunities for unleashing each and every member’s potential.

Along this line, Samsung is celebrating International Women’s Day with a campaign in collaboration with talented artists to tell the stories of a diverse range of employees. These illustrated stories telling the experiences of twelve female employees at Samsung from around the world with varying roles will be available on Samsung’s The Frame Art Store¹ free of charge.

You can also visit Samsung.com to see the full stories and illustrations of these trailblazers from March 8.

¹ The Frame’s Art Store provides access to over 1,400 pieces of art from world-renowned galleries and museums.