Samsung appointed a new head of its mobile business, as part of the company’s annual senior executive shake-up, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Roh Tae-moon, previously president and head of R&D at the vendor’s mobile business, takes over as head of the IT and Mobile Communications (IM) division’s mobile unit.

Koh Dong-jin remains president and CEO of the IM division, which includes the mobile devices and network equipment units, but will focus on a broader role, the news agency said.

Roh led the development the flagship Galaxy S and Note smartphone series, and was a key force behind the release of Samsung’s foldable phone.

In a related article, Reuters reported he also pushed to outsource more handset production to China and other countries to cut costs.

The appointment of a new leader is intended to revitalise the organisation as competition in the smartphone more becomes more fierce: at 52, Roh is the youngest president at Samsung.

EVP of its network business, Jeon Kyung-hoon, was among four executives promoted to president.

The company generally announces management changes in December but they were pushed to January due to trials involving the group’s heir Lee Jae-yong and key executives, Yonhap News Agency wrote.

Samsung maintained its lead in the smartphone market in Q3, with a 21.3 per cent market share, but Huawei continued to gain, data from Strategy Analytics showed.