[Techtaffy Newsdesk]
Sony has announced the establishment of a new management structure led by president and CEO Kazuo Hirai. With Mr. Hirai at the center of a management team that will work together with the heads of each business group and platform, this new business structure is intended to establish rapid and optimized decision making processes as “One Sony,” says the company. The changes are effective April 1, 2012.
Corporate executive officers Masaru Kato, EVP and CFO, and Tadashi Saito, EVP and CSO (chief strategy officer) will oversee the Sony Group’s overall financial management, corporate and business strategies. With respect to the electronics businesses, in addition to Mr. Kato and Mr. Saito, Shoji Nemoto, corporate cxecutive officer and EVP who will oversee technology strategy, and Kunimasa Suzuki, Corporate Executive Officer and EVP, who will oversee product strategy, will take key roles in the management team.
Sony is positioning digital imaging, game and mobile as the three core pillars of its electronics business, and going forward aims to concentrate its resources in these areas to further reinforce the businesses. Sony also plans to accelerate its efforts to drive innovation and new business creation. Mr. Nemoto will be assigned overall responsibility for technology strategies, and will work together with Tomoyuki Suzuki, corporate executive officer and EVP, who will oversee Sony’s core device technologies. Mr. Nemoto will also focus in the area of R&D.
As officer in charge of the User Experience (“UX”) & Product Strategy and Creative Platform, Kunimasa Suzuki will assume responsibility for planning and design in relation to all consumer related products and services. He will also oversee the mobile business that Sony has identified as one of its core electronics business areas, including smart phones, tablets and PCs.
The Home Entertainment Business, including the TV business (which is continuing to address the challenge of enhancing profitability), will be overseen directly by the CEO, Mr. Hirai, who will also be corporate executive officer in charge of these businesses. The device and semiconductor businesses, and the core device R&D activities which support these businesses, will now be led by Tomoyuki Suzuki. Sony’s medical-related businesses that had been dispersed across multiple units will now be integrated into a dedicated medical business unit to be overseen by Hiroshi Yoshioka, corporate executive officer and executive deputy president.
In the area of sales and marketing, Haruyasu Nagata, currently president of Sony (China) will be appointed SVP and head of the global sales and marketing platform. Nobuki Kurita, currently president, Sony Marketing (Japan) will be appointed president, Sony (China). Hiroshi Kawano will be appointed president, Sony Marketing (Japan), while continuing his current role as president, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan.
[Image Courtesy: Sony]