DeFina Exits Samsung

• By Ralph C. Jensen
• May 28, 2014

Frank DeFina, executive vice president North America at Samsung America has announced he will be leaving Samsung June 2. DeFina said that he is leaving for personal reasons so that he can remain closer to his home.

Following an interview with the security industry media, he said that he wanted to remain active in the industry, perhaps as a consultant. He has been with Samsung for about five years. He also announced that business at Samsung is up at least 75 percent over from 2013 numbers.

Praising his team at Samsung, DeFina said that building the business over the past five years has been the work of his team. He also said that Samsung is inching upward and  Samsung Security is gaining in market share.

“When I took over a few years ago, Samsung was an obscure brand,” DeFina said. “Our goal was to build credibility with the brand. We have had some success stories that have helped build up the brand and the business.”

DeFina said that he sees growth areas in the industry coming in cybersecurity and the intrusion vertical. Addressing a question about integrators, he said that they are typically small businessmen who are dealing with decreasing margins, and they need to look at opportunities to improve those margins and profitability.