Roberto Mauro, Managing Director Europe, Samsung Strategy & Innovation Center

Roberto Mauro holds an MSc in Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Milan (Italy), an  MBA from IMD (Switzerland), and a diploma in Chinese language and culture from IsMEO  (Italy). A dual citizen of Italy and the USA, he lives in Paris with his wife and their two children.

With more than 25 years’ experience in strategy, business development and innovation in high  tech industries across Europe, Korea, China and the USA, Roberto is a first-hand witness of the  development of Asian tech companies and the evolution of global tech ecosystems. He  actively contributes to initiatives which aim to prioritize human values in the development of  new technologies, especially in the area of data and artificial intelligence.

Roberto started his career in business development initially in Europe for an Italian high-tech  firm, then in Asia for Cisco, with a focus on China. He further improved his knowledge of  Chinese at the Beijing Foreign Studies University.

In 2004 he joined Samsung Group headquarters in Seoul as Director at the Samsung Global  Strategy Group, where for 5 years he led projects in business development, corporate strategy, marketing and operations for various Samsung businesses in Europe, North America, China  and Asia Pacific. He mastered the Korean language and became infused with the national  culture, both traditional and modern.

In 2009 he moved to Samsung Electronics France, a leading subsidiary in Europe, as Director  of Strategy and Business Development. He led initiatives to consolidate Samsung’s positions  in the telecom and consumer electronics industries, and to build its content and services  ecosystem. Promoted to Vice-President of Strategy, Marketing and External Relations, he led  corporate strategy, brand and products digital marketing, online sales, government relations,  communication, corporate citizenship and sustainability. He was a member of the board of  AFNUM, the digital industry trade association which he helped create in 2015, and on the  board of Ecosystem, the eco-organization of the electronics industry in France.

In 2018 Roberto was promoted to Managing Director Europe at the Samsung Strategy &  Innovation Center, the open innovation unit headquartered in the Silicon Valley, and he sets  up offices in Paris and Berlin. Roberto leads direct investments and partnerships in innovation  ecosystems in Europe, with a focus on data-driven businesses and artificial intelligence. He is  an active contributor to the Tech for Good Summit, the initiative of President Macron bringing  together corporate groups, start-ups and non-profits to define development models that put  digital and technology at the service of humanity.