Howard Stringer will move to the position of chairman of the board at Sony as Kaz Hirai of Sony Computer Entertainment, home of the PlayStation, steps up to the hotseat.
Sony have announced in a statement today that the long-expected elevation of Kaz Hirai – current chairman and former president of PlayStation division Sony Computer Entertainment – to the roles of CEO and president of the company will come into effect on April the 1st.
The move will see current CEO Howard Stringer move to board chairman to replace the retiring Yotaro Kobayashi.
“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,” Hirai said.
“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.”
Hirai will be taking over at a vital time in Sony’s history, and his ascension comes in large part due to the contrast between the success of Sony Computer Entertainment and the struggles of other divisions within the company over the last few years
Hirai first took over as president of SCE in 2006 from father of the PlayStation and has steered the PS3 back into a competitive position in the home console market, as well as over-seeing the development and launch of their PlayStation Vita handheld. He moved to the position of chairman of the division back in September 2011.
His predecessor Howard Stringer’s tenure as CEO has often been controversial, sharply dividing opinion amongst critics, with suggestions that as a “foreigner” he was never full able to command Sony’s various divisions – and factions – towards a common goal.
Stringer was gracious in his praise for his successor: “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,” he said.
“I believe his tough-mindedness and leadership skills will be of great benefit to the company and its customers in the months and years ahead. I look forward to helping Kaz in every way I can so that succession leads inevitably to success.”
It’ll be fascinating to see how Hirai faces up to the many challenges lying ahead for Sony over the coming decade.
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