It’s fair to say that technology and consumer electronics is changing, evolving and expanding at a rate that if nigh-on impossible to keep up with – or so it would appear. Not so for Samsung. For decades now, they have been at the forefront of what we watch, listen to and communicate with and we wanted to know what’s their secret. As luck would have it, Emily Choi, President of Samsung Electronics NZ, was more than happy to spill hte beans in a Tarmac Life Exclusive Interview.
To give you some background, Emily Choi has been President of Samsung Electronics NZ since December 2024. This is her first appointment as company president, following more than two decades with Samsung across Europe, the Baltics, Southeast Asia and Oceania. She began her Samsung journey in 2003 within the CMI & UX division of the Mobile eXperience business and has since held a number of senior leadership roles across complex, high-growth markets.
With all the new Samsung devices launching right now, we thought you’d be keen to hear from the leader shaping the vision behind it – exploring not just the tech, but the mindset, habits and lifestyle driving the innovation.
Vision & Leadership
Q: How has stepping into the President role reshaped your vision, and what guides your
leadership?
EC – Stepping into the President role is a privilege and a genuine extension of my journey with Samsung.
My focus is on driving innovation that genuinely enhances everyday life, particularly through AI and
connected ecosystems.
From a leadership perspective, my priorities are collaboration, clarity, and customer focus. The aim
is to achieve strong, aligned teams to deliver growth and strengthen our premium brand position.
Q: What global lessons are you bringing into New Zealand?
Working across diverse markets has reinforced the importance of balancing a global brand with local
relevance. My time in Europe highlighted premium brand value, while my time in Southeast Asia
taught agility.
In New Zealand, I believe success comes from understanding local consumers needs and listening
closely to both customers and teams.
Q: What aspects of the NZ and South Pacific consumer landscape shape your strategy?
I’ve noticed that consumers in New Zealand and the South Pacific are tech-savvy and they value
authenticity and practicality. They adopt innovation quickly but expect it to be intuitive and useful.
Our focus is ensuring that through Samsung’s portfolio of products, which includes AI and connected
experiences, genuinely enhance Kiwis’ everyday life.
Innovation & 2026 Device Strategy
Q: Core philosophy behind the S26 series?
To make technology behind the Samsung Galaxy S26 series more intelligent, intuitive, and
seamlessly integrated. The move from just using AI as a feature and shifting to a human-centred
Agentic AI. The S26 series combines advanced hardware with AI to create personalised, adaptive
experiences.
However, our innovation is not only AI, there is the world’s first hardware-integrated privacy with
the incredible Privacy Display, which is exclusive to the S26 Ultra. This feature uses light dispersion at
the pixel level to restrict viewing angles from the sides, top, and bottom, ensuring your screen is only
visible to you.
Another key addition for the S26 series is horizontal lock, which keeps your screen orientation stable
while filming content – like it was shot on a gimbal while you’re on the go. Leveraging the gyroscope
and accelerometer for real-time motion tracking, this incredible feature maintains stability even if
the phone is tilted or rotated 360-degrees.
Q: How is Samsung redefining innovation in 2026?
Innovation is shifting from hardware-led to experience-led. We’re combining powerful devices with
AI-driven software to deliver more personalised, connected experiences across our ecosystem.
Whiteware, kitchen appliances, TVs, and mobile experiences are no longer products in isolation, they
are ‘Home Companions.’ Powered by Galaxy AI and Google Gemini integration, our devices now
understand context. Your fridge recognises what’s inside via AI Vision and suggests step-by-step
recipes.
SmartThings helps bring everything together for a seamless ecosystem ‘experience’. A great example
of this, when your Bespoke AI Laundry Combo cycle has finished it sends a notification to your phone
or TV screen.
A practical way of how Samsung is ensuring that our ‘AI for All’ vision enhances Kiwis’ everyday life,
is through AI Energy Mode, which is much more than a simple energy-saving setting. Using real-time
data, usage patterns, and environmental insights to automatically adjust your appliance
performance and optimise power consumption across connected devices. This is monitored and
managed through SmartThings.
Q: Which technologies will shape the next decade?
This new AI experience, seamless cross-device ecosystems, and sustainable design. Where AI focuses
is on human-centred innovation that simplifies life.
My belief is that we’re moving away from ‘App Economy’, an era of disjointed tasks and navigation,
towards seamless integration. Instead of users going to specific apps, through the evolution of AI
new technology is beginning to anticipate our needs and wrap around our lives.
Key to this is Agentic AI, as agents operate with autonomy and coordinate actions between your
calendar, personal preferences, and external APIs. You will no longer ‘open an app’ to book a flight;
instead, your AI agent will manage the entire process in the background, performing complex tasks
freely to create a truly personalised experience.
Consumer Trends & Market Insights
Q: Key consumer trends and Samsung’s response?
Consumers want practical innovation – particularly in AI, photography, and connected living. There’s
a clear shift from AI as a tool to AI as an intuitive, always-on companion, that anticipates needs and
simplifies everyday life.
Samsung is focused on delivering meaningful innovation that adds tangible value, while continuing
to strengthen our ecosystem so devices work seamlessly together, creating a more effortless and
connected experience.
Q: What does “future ready” mean for Samsung?
For Samsung, “future ready” means building products that are premium, durable, evolve over time,
and integrate seamlessly into everyday life.
We support this through up to seven years of software and security updates on flagship devices,
ensuring longevity and relevance well into the next decade. However, beyond the hardware, our
Bespoke AI approach enables devices to learn user habits and continuously adapt – delivering more
personalised and intuitive experiences over time.
Q: Differences in South Pacific adoption?
Mobile adoption across the South Pacific continues to grow, driven by increasing smartphone
penetration and improving network infrastructure. However, there are ongoing challenges due to
geography and cost barriers.
Samsung is seeing strong momentum as island nations are looking to prioritise digital
transformation, and this presents an important opportunity. We are working closely with regional
partners to support this growth and help bridge the digital divide in a significant and sustainable
way.
Career Journey & Personal Perspective
Q: How did your early CMI & UX experience shape you?
My early CMI and UX experience gave me the foundations in user-centric thinking, which is crucial
for my realisation that great products are defined by experience, not just their specifications. It’s this
perspective and understanding which has stayed with me, and still guides my decisions today.
Q: Most transformative career challenge?
Leading across different regions has been one of the most transformative experiences in my career.
While it’s been incredibly rewarding learning new skills and experiencing new cultures, it has
required me to continuously adapt my leadership style.
Different markets and consumer behaviours emphasise the importance of being agile and, ensuring
that I empower the local teams to drive success in ways that are relevant to their markets.
Q: What keeps you grounded and innovative?
In an industry that evolves as quickly as technology, it’s important to stay curious and continuous
learning is essential. I make a conscious effort to keep evolving alongside the innovation we deliver.
It’s crucial that we always remain close to emerging trends and build an adoption mindset, which
ensures that we not only understand new technology but can also translate them into meaningful
experiences for consumers.
Q: Samsung’s role in NZ over the next five years?
AI is a focus for Samsung in New Zealand, as we continue to lead in intelligent, connected
experiences tailored to Kiwi consumers.
Personally, I believe that one of most exciting areas is the evolution of AI agentic systems,
autonomous agents executing multi-step tasks seamlessly. Through our new flagship devices, like
the Galaxy S26 Series, we are moving from reactive AI interactions to proactive, context-aware
experiences that can fundamentally change how people engage with technology.
Q: Key partnerships and community initiatives?
Strong collaboration with retail, telcos network partners, and community partners is essential to
ongoing success.
We are focusing on creating more partnerships across the South Pacific, working with governments
and companies to support digital inclusion and connectivity.
In New Zealand, we are proud of our CSR initiative Solve for Tomorrow, in partnership with MOTAT.
This programme is now in its sixth year and empowers young people to use STEAM skills to solve
real-world challenges, fostering innovation and supporting the next generation of problem-solvers.
So now you know – Samsung continues to be a leader in all manner of consumer electronics and with Emily Choi at the helm, it’s easy to see why. We thanked you for your time Emily.
