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January 29, 2025
Hiroki Totoki appointed as President and CEO effective April 1, 2025
January 29, 2025
Revised on April 1, 2025
Tokyo, Japan - Sony Group Corporation ("Sony") today announced that Hiroki Totoki, currently Director, Representative Corporate Executive Officer, President, COO and CFO, has been newly appointed as Director, Representative Corporate Executive Officer, President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1, 2025. Kenichiro Yoshida, currently Director, Representative Corporate Executive Officer, Chairman and CEO, will become Director, Representative Corporate Executive Officer, Executive Chairman, also effective April 1, 2025. These appointments were proposed by Kenichiro Yoshida to the Nominating Committee, and following deliberation by the Committee, were approved unanimously at the Board meeting held today.
Also effective April 1, 2025, Sony will implement changes to its management structure to clarify management roles according to their responsibilities for the management of the entire Group or of each business, and make further appointments, as outlined below.
In terms of the management structure changes, each of the Chief Executive Officers of the Sony Group's major businesses will be designated as a "Business CEO"; each of those assisting the CEO who oversees the entire Group's management, and has responsibility for wide-ranging headquarters functions, will be designated as a "Chief Officer"; and each of the executives in charge of functions at the Group headquarters will be designated as a "Corporate Executive."
The following Chief Officers have been appointed: Toshimoto Mitomo as Chief Strategy Officer (current position), Tsuyoshi Kodera as Chief Digital Officer (current position), Yasuhiro Ito as Chief People Officer (new position), and Lin Tao as Chief Financial Officer (newly appointed). In addition, in the technology field, Hiroaki Kitano has been appointed as Chief Technology Fellow.
"To ensure that my succession contributes to Sony's future long-term growth, I have been in discussion with the Nominating Committee and the Board of Directors for some time. Based on Hiroki Totoki's contributions to Sony, including his achievements since being appointed as President and COO in April 2023, I proposed to them that he succeed me as CEO this April. I am grateful to the Nominating Committee and the Board for their support of this proposal. Totoki has been a key member of the management team ever since I became President and CEO in April 2018. He spearheaded growth strategies for the Sony Group, such as our investments in content IP and semiconductors, and is a leader capable of shaping our vision and strategy for future growth. Going forward, I will support Totoki as he leads his new management team."
"I am incredibly honored and humbled to have been entrusted with the important role of President and CEO. At the same time, I am looking forward to working as CEO with our approximately 110,000 employees to further evolve and grow Sony. My predecessors as CEO, Kazuo Hirai and Kenichiro Yoshida, have greatly enhanced Sony's value, and I will do my utmost to further build on this success and pass on an even better Sony to the next generation. At our Corporate Strategy Meeting in May of last year, we newly announced our `Creative Entertainment Vision,' which outlines where we want Sony to be in 10 years, with our Purpose as the guiding principle. Our greatest driver in achieving this is the diversity of our businesses and people, which is part of Sony's DNA, and our boundary spanners that transcend organizational barriers and organically connect that diversity to create new value. Together with our employees, creators, partners, and our new leadership team, I will work to create a bright future filled with a boundless sense of Kando (emotion)."
"As CEO, Kenichiro Yoshida has led Sony's evolution and growth through the establishment of Sony's Purpose and implementation of management initiatives centered around a `Creation Shift.' We are extremely grateful for his significant contributions. Hiroki Totoki has served as CFO since 2018 and as President, COO and CFO from 2023, and the Board of Directors highly values his achievements and leadership driving Sony's growth strategies, together with current CEO Yoshida. The Nominating Committee is continuously discussing succession plans for the management team and Totoki was evaluated as a strong candidate for CEO. With Yoshida's proposal, the Committee conducted a multifaceted review, and the Board, taking into consideration the views of the Committee, today unanimously approved Totoki's appointment as President and CEO. The Board will fully support the new management team together with Yoshida, who continues as Executive Chairman."
[Those of equal rank are listed in order of appointment / changes to titles or areas of responsibility are underlined]
Additionally, there will be the following changes among the current Sony Group Corporation executives (with respect to all, the date of retirement is at the end of March, 2025, and the date of appointment is effective April 1, 2025).
Terushi Shimizu will retire from the position of Senior Executive Vice President and be appointed Director and Chairman of Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation; Kazushi Ambe will retire as Senior Executive Vice President and Corporate Executive Officer, while continuing to serve as President of Sony University to foster the next generation of business leaders; and Naomi Matsuoka will retire as Senior Vice President and is scheduled to be newly appointed Executive Vice President of Sony Bank Inc. Shiro Kambe, currently Senior Executive Vice President and Corporate Executive Officer, and Hisashi Tamai, Senior Vice President, will retire at the end of March 2025.
