In what has to be one of the more amicable ‘changing of the guards’ that we’ve seen in a while, Sony today announced that Kazuo Hirai will be taking over the reins from Sir Howard Stringer as president and CEO of the company.

 

The appointment, which will come into effect from the first of April, will be followed by Stringer’s appointment as chairman of the Board of Directors (BOD) in June of this year.

 

The company elaborated that, in the meantime, Stringer will continue as chairman of Sony Corporation until his ascension to the Board Chairmanship. This will become effective upon Board approval following the annual meeting of shareholders in June. At that time, the current chairman, Yotaro Kobayashi, will be retiring.   

 

“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,” related Stringer.

 

He continued that Kaz was a “globally focused executive” for whom technology and the cloud are familiar territory, content is highly valued, and digital transformation is second nature.  

 

“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.  It was my honour 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.”

 

For his part, Hirai alluded to the challenging times that Sony was faced with, but credited Stringer for mitigating the unspecified difficulties.  

 

“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,” he added.

 

Hirai also sounded a note of confidence and optimism, asserting that the “foundations were firmly in place” for himself and the new management team 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.”

 

The current  chairman of the board, Yotaro Kobayashi had kind words for both men. He praised Stringer's efforts over the past seven years, noting that Stringer had “helped Sony travel such a long and vital way down the road” from an analogue to a digital company.   

 

He further commended Stringer for recognising the importance of connecting the company’s  products with networks and content so that its “devices could come fully alive in the hands of consumers.”

 

Of Hirai, Kobayashi complemented him by saying: “He has a unique capacity to inspire people, to build teams, to make the tough decisions, and to think with clarity and foresight about the challenges we face and how to surmount them.”   

 

The announcement comes more than a year after Sony was rumoured to be in search of a new president. In that report, Hirai was named as one of two contenders for the position, along with Hiroshi Yoshioka.