Sony has confirmed spot-on rumors that it previously denied by announcing the appointment of Kazuo Hirai to President and CEO of the corporation, effective April 2012. The former president, Sir Howard Stringer, will become Chairman of the Board of Directors as of June 2012, when current Chairman Yotaro Kobayashi will retire. Stringer recommended Hirai for the position, and it’s expected that Hirai will join the Board during the June shareholders meeting.
"Three years ago, I started to work with the Board on succession plans, and in February, 2009 we named a new generation of leaders to be my management team. Among them was Kaz Hirai, who had distinguished himself through his work in the PlayStation and networked entertainment businesses. Kaz is a globally focused executive for whom technology and the cloud are familiar territory, content is highly valued, and digital transformation is second nature,” said Stringer.
“I look forward to helping Kaz in every way I can so that succession leads inevitably to success. It was my honor to recommend him to the Board for the positions of President and CEO, because he is ready to lead, and the time to make this change is now."
"I am grateful to Sir Howard and to the Board for their confidence in me, and I look forward to working with everyone at Sony more closely than ever before to build a strong future for our customers, shareholders, partners and employees,” added Hirai.
“The path we must take is clear: to drive the growth of our core electronics businesses - primarily digital imaging, smart mobile and game; to turn around the television business; and to accelerate the innovation that enables us to create new business domains. The foundations are now firmly in place for the new management team and me to fully leverage Sony's diverse electronics product portfolio, in conjunction with our rich entertainment assets and growing array of networked services, to engage with our customers around the world in new and exciting ways."
There’s no word as to who will replace Hirai in his current positions as Executive Deputy President in charge of the Consumer Products & Services Group and SCEI Chairman.
