Sony Corp. has announced that Kazuo Hirai will assume the role of CEO and president of the electronics giant from April 1, 2012.
Hirai, who has been with the company for over 15 years now, will take over from current Sony boss Sir Howard Stringer as executive chairman until June, and will then become chairman of the board.
Rumors of Hirai’s imminent promotion hit the web last month, though Sony was quick to distance itself from any speculation on the matter.
Said Hirai: “I am grateful to Sir Howard and to the Board for their confidence in me, and I look forward to working with everyone at Sony more closely than ever before to build a strong future for our customers, shareholders, partners and employees.”
“The foundations are now firmly in place for the new management team and me 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.”
Stringer is expected to take over from current board chairman Yotaro Kobayashi, who is due to retire in the near future.
“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,” commented Stringer.
“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.”