Print    Email

Email To		[Close]
		You must make entries in all fields
Your Email
Your Name
Send to Email
		Send

Howard Stringer, the Welsh-born American head of Japanese games, music and electronics giant Sony, will put down his papers as its president and CEO, the company said on Wednesday.

Kazuo Hirai, a games and music veteran will take over as president and chief executive in April, a company statement said, while Stringer will become chairman of the board of directors in June.

Commenting on his decision he said that, he looked forward to helping Kaz in every way he can so that succession leads inevitably to success. 

Hirai, 51, played a major role in developing the PlayStation in the 1990s and has spent most of his career at Sony in videogames, movies, music and other software businesses.

Reports have previously said the Tokyo-based maker of PlayStation consoles and Bravia televisions is planning a drastic restructuring under Hirai to try to return to profit after four consecutive years in the red.

Hirai's earlier promotion to deputy president was seen by analysts as signalling a greater focus on pushing content to multiple hardware platforms such as game consoles, smartphones and tablet computers.

Sony is projecting an annual net loss this year of 90 billion yen ($1.2 billion), as it reels from the impact of a strong yen, weak sales, and severe flooding in Thailand.