There was talk recently that Kazuo Hirai would be taking over Howard Stringer’s job as President and CEO of Sony, but the company was rather quick to shoot the news down shortly after it made the rounds. But as it turns out, the rumor was true.
Sony officially announced today that Kazuo Hirai, the now-former head of Sony’s gaming division, will take over as President and CEO of Sony effective April of this year.
Even if you ignore all of the speculation leading up to Sony’s confirmation early this morning, news that Hirai will be taking over as President and CEO shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Sony has been struggling to stay competitive over the past several years, and Hirai was the driving force behind one of Sony’s few successful divisions, so the choice seems obvious.
In a statement, Stringer explained that Sony began the process of finding a replacement back in 2009, when the company began to groom Hirai.
“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,” Stringer 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 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.”
