SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) - Samsung Telecommunications America’s new vice president says his upbringing in Shreveport paved the way for his success.
“Everything I accomplished is because of the guidance of my parents,” said Vince Hudson, who was named the company’s head of marketing strategy and operations in early March.
The 1989 graduate of Captain Shreve High School wants to share his story with home-town kids who are still in school: “I want to talk to the students and be an inspiration and give them some encouragement to stay focused to try to deliver their dreams.”
He got the job after 20 years at Procter & Gamble, where he ran that company’s South Asia beauty care business from Singapore prior to leading its North American cosmetics business, according to a Samsung news release.
Hudson’s parents, Velma and Edward B. Hudson, are longtime Caddo educators who transferred their appreciation for knowledge to their children.
“We just always stressed education … and that no matter what other people told you you could not do, if you put your mind on it, you could get there,” Velma Hudson said.
She taught home economics at a couple of Shreveport high schools and later worked as a guidance counselor while Edward B. Hudson was an elementary principal at Riverside and Creswell elementary schools. Both retired in 1993 after 30 years.
“It’s a joy to see your children grow up and become - maybe not what you wanted them to be, but being successful and enjoying the work they do,” Velma Hudson said.
In his new role, Vince Hudson oversees marketing operations and product launches in the U.S. for Samsung Mobile, focusing on enhancing how consumers engage with Samsung technology, the company news release says.
The graduate of Dillard University in New Orleans has vast global marketing and operational knowledge and won many notable marketing accolades, including Brandweek’s “Marketers of the Next Generation” and Ad Age’s “Top 40 Marketers Under 40” and a short-listed campaign at Cannes Lions Award, the release continues.
Hudson said growing up surrounded by books made him an avid reader, which was another childhood lesson that has helped him succeed. “My mother and father always had a lot of books and really stressed to us at a young age the importance of education.”
It’s a tradition he hopes to pass on to his girls, Olivia, who soon will turn 3, and Ava, 1.
He and his wife, Jennifer, had their youngest daughter while living in Singapore. While on assignment there, Hudson met another Shreveport native who had attended Zion Baptist, the same church he did while growing up.
“It was good to see Shreveporters go global.”
Hudson’s parents also had the opportunity to visit.
But his home town holds fond memories.
“The whole city has a vibe of fun and family. And you don’t get that everywhere in the world,” said Hudson.
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Information from: The Times, https://www.shreveporttimes.com
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