Today Sony Corporation announced some big changes at the helm, which also involved its PlayStation arm Sony Interactive Entertainment.
First of all, according to the provided press release, Hiroki Totoki is the new CEO, succeeding Kenichiro Yoshida. The changes described here will become effective with the new fiscal year, on April 1, 2025.
Totoki-san’s appointment likely will surprise no one as he has been accruing titles at Sony for quite a while. Before the new appointment, he was both Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer and he also led PlayStation directly for a period, overseeing the transition to the current leadership.
He will be assisted by a number of “Chief Officers” with wide-ranging headquarters responsibilities. Toshimoto Mitomo remains Chief Strategy Officer. Tsuyoshi Kodera (who was CEO of SIE for a period) remains Chief Digital Officer. Yasuhiro Ito remains Chief People Officer. Lin Tao will take over Totoki-san’s former role as Chief Financial Officer.
An interesting change is also happening at the very top of PlayStation with the formal end of the dual CEO model, which lasted less than a year. Hideaki Nishino, who was in charge of hardware, will become the sole CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Hermen Hulst will remain CEO of the Studio Business Group under Nishino-san’s overall PlayStation leadership.
The press release included comments from Yoshida-san and Totoki-san. Here’s what the new CEO had to say.
“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).”
Yoshida-san commented as follows:
“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.”
Totoki-san has already been a very public voice for Sony over the past few years, leading all investor communication. Perhaps the fact that he presented on stage at CES 2025 (Yoshida-san presented the previous editions of Sony’s press conference) was a solid hint of his new role.
