Sony establishes new management structure

Under the leadership of President/CEO Kazuo Hirai, Corporate Executive Officers Masaru Kato, Executive Vice President and CFO, and Tadashi Saito, Executive Vice President and CSO (Chief Strategy Officer) will oversee the 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 Executive Officer and Executive Vice President will oversee technology strategy, and Kunimasa Suzuki, Corporate Executive Officer and Executive Vice President, will oversee product strategy.

According to a press release, Sony is positioning digital imaging, game and mobile as the three core pillars of its electronics business, and will concentrate its resources in these areas to further reinforce the businesses. The company also Shoji Nemoto will be assigned overall responsibility for technology strategies, and will work together with Tomoyuki Suzuki to create new businesses and enhance the R&D operations that are the foundations for Sony’s next generation of technological innovation. Mr. Nemoto will also implement a process of stringent selection and focus in the area of R&D, to enable the Company to optimize resource allocation. 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, with the aim of strengthening horizontal integration and enhancing the user experience across Sony’s entire product and network service lineup. 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, Kazuo Hirai, who will also be Corporate Executive Officer in charge of these businesses.

In the area of sales and marketing, Haruyasu Nagata, currently President of Sony (China) Co., Ltd will be appointed SVP and head of the Global Sales and Marketing Platform, with the aim of strengthening Sony’s global sales and marketing activities, particularly within emerging markets where significant market growth is anticipated.