Samsung said on the 4th that it selected 17 talents with outstanding expertise in core technology fields such as manufacturing technology, facilities, quality, infrastructure, molds, procurement, and metrology as the "2026 Samsung Masters."
A total of 17 people were selected as Samsung Masters this year, the largest number since the program was introduced. By affiliate, Samsung Electronics had 12, Samsung Display had 2, Samsung SDI had 1, Samsung Electro-Mechanics had 1, and Samsung Heavy Industries had 1 named as masters.
Despite a challenging business environment, Samsung is accelerating the development of technical talent by selecting the largest number of masters ever this year. The Samsung Master program certifies as the company's top experts those who have worked in their field for more than 20 years, possess craftsman-level proficiency and know-how, and also demonstrate leadership.
Samsung has operated the master program since 2019 and has continuously expanded the selection fields and the affiliates adopting the program. Initially, masters were chosen mainly in manufacturing fields such as manufacturing technology, molds, and quality, but recently the scope has expanded to areas such as procurement and environment and safety. After the program was first introduced at Samsung Electronics in 2019, it spread to Samsung Electro-Mechanics in 2020, Samsung Display and Samsung SDI in 2021, and Samsung Heavy Industries in 2025.
This year, not only the number of selectees but also the number of affiliates that produced masters is the highest, with five companies: Samsung Electronics, Samsung Display, Samsung SDI, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, and Samsung Heavy Industries.
To date, Samsung has selected a total of 86 masters and is working to prevent the loss of core technical talent and to train successors through the master program. The company provides those selected as masters with a bonus and a master allowance, and offers various HR benefits such as priority selection for the "Samsung Senior Track," which allows continued employment after the mandatory retirement age.
Samsung plans to continue fostering top-tier technical experts while also contributing to strengthening the national industrial ecosystem by continuing to sponsor the WorldSkills Competition and the National Skills Competition.