Samsung hunts for new CMO following Newton's departure

Samsung Australia president and chief marketing officer, Phil Newtown, has resigned after an eight-year stint with the consumer electronics giant.

Newton was appointed CMO in July 2015 but has held a number of varied positions during his time with the local branch of the Samsung business including director of IT and business-to-business, director of TV and audiovisual, VP of consumer electronics and chief marketing officer. He is also the only Australian employee to be given the title of ‘corporate vice president’.

In a statement, Samsung’s local president, Harry Lee, thanks Newton for his contribution over the past eight years and said his departure will be felt across the company.

“ During his time at the company, Philip has helped transform our business to achieve growth and leadership across a number of business areas including IT and B2B, home appliances and TVs, where he increased market share from 17 per cent to 30 per cent, within a six- month period,” Lee said.

“ In his most recent position as CMO, Philip has spearheaded our partnership with netball in Australia, which launched with the acclaimed ‘Rethink Role Models’  campaign. He has also driven the corporate marketing team to achieve significant improvements in key marketing metrics, which have contributed to the growth of our brand over the last 18 months.”

Newton’s last day is 9 August and his next career step has not been disclosed. But he said he’d been fortunate to have launched many firsts as well as work with talents people.

“My time at Samsung has been extremely fulfilling and I’m grateful for the many opportunities the company has provided me,” he said.  

Samsung said it’s commenced the search for Newton’s replacement and hoped to announce someone in coming weeks.