Sony may be seeking new president


25 Nov 2010

Sony may be looking for a new president to succeed Howard Stringer, who currently acts as president, chairman and CEO of the company.

Reports say Sony wishes to ease the load off Stringer, who will turn 69 in February. The new president could also be his successor.

Stringer would still act as CEO and chairman, and the new president would act as a deputy to take on some of Stinger’s work and travel obligations. Stringer travels between his New York office, the company’s Tokyo HQ, Sony’s movie division in Los Angeles and London, where his family lives.

Kazuo Hirai, chairman and group chief executive officer of Sony Computer Entertainment, and Hiroshi Yoshioka, executive deputy president of Consumer Products, are both being considered for the role.

As both of these executives focus on electronics, it is believed Sony may emphasise this area, as opposed to media.

Stringer assumed the presidential role in 2009, after previous president Ryoji Chubachi stepped down to vice-president.

Sony profited in its last quarter, thanks to sales in video games and PCs. The company experienced 31.1bn yen net income, compared to a 26.3bn yen loss last year.