Samsung Electronics Recruits Former Microsoft EU Affairs Expert to Strengthen Response to EU Regulations

Jeremy Rollison, Formerly of Microsoft, Joins Samsung Electronics
Starts at European External Cooperation Team in Brussels, Belgium
Expert in EU Government Affairs with Over 10 Years of Experience
Skilled in AI, Cloud Policy, and Cybersecurity

Samsung Electronics has recruited Jeremy Rollison, a 46-year-old expert formerly with Microsoft (MS), to respond to the European Union’s (EU) stringent digital regulations.

Jeremy Rollison, who was recruited as an executive director at the External Cooperation Team of Samsung Electronics' Europe Headquarters to strengthen EU response. CERRE website

According to industry sources, Rollison began his work on January 19 (local time) at the External Cooperation Team for Europe, based in Brussels, Belgium, under the leadership of Executive Vice President Lee Sangjoo.

Rollison is a specialist who has handled government affairs with the EU for more than a decade at Microsoft. He graduated from the University of Richmond in Virginia, United States, and earned a master’s degree in European Studies from Sciences Po, a prestigious political science university in France. After working at Nokia, he joined Microsoft in 2014 and has since focused on EU external cooperation. Most recently, he served as Head of EU Policy for Microsoft’s European Government Affairs team.

Samsung Electronics is said to have highly valued Rollison’s expertise in artificial intelligence (AI), cloud policy, and cybersecurity, as well as his extensive network within Brussels, where the EU headquarters is located. Based on these strengths, the company expects him to bolster its response to EU policies and regulations. It is also reported that the competition for this position was fierce, with numerous applicants from global companies such as Intel and L’Or?al, in addition to Rollison.

The EU market has grown to account for 17% (approximately 50.1 trillion won) of Samsung Electronics’ total annual sales. However, with the recent clear shift toward a ‘Europe First’ policy and the implementation of broad regulations, agile responses have become essential for maintaining a favorable business environment in Europe. For example, the EU is enforcing the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a flagship regulation in the digital sector, to prevent the abuse of market dominance by large platform operators. In this context, companies above a certain size are designated as ‘gatekeepers’ and are subject to special regulations to prevent market dominance abuses.

Samsung Electronics was excluded from this designation in 2023. In contrast, seven companies-including Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft from the United States, as well as ByteDance (China) and Booking.com (Netherlands)-are currently designated as ‘gatekeepers’ by the EU.