London – Sony
named Kunimasa Suzuki as president/CEO of Sony Mobile Communications, replacing
Bert Nordberg, who becomes chairman of the board. The appointments are
effective May 16.
Suzuki is also Sony corporate executive officer
and executive VP, and in that role, as announced last week, he is assuming responsibility
for overseeing the planning and design of all Sony’s consumer products and
services. His responsibility, the company said, “includes overseeing the mobile
business that Sony has identified as one of its core electronics business
areas, including smartphones, tablets and PCs.”
In his executive
officer/executive VP position, Suzuki is tasked with “strengthening horizontal
integration and enhancing the user experience across Sony’s entire product and
network service lineup,” the company said.
Nordberg was
president/CEO of Sony Mobile when it was Sony Ericsson, a 50-50 joint venture
with Ericsson. Sony this year purchased Ericsson’s stake and turned the company
into a wholly owned subsidiary.
Suzuki “has a vast experience in product
planning and management in the information technology and mobile product
business as well as experience of cultivating business in emerging
markets,” said Kazuo Hirai, president/CEO of Sony Corp. “He is a
strong leader and the right person to oversee Sony Mobile Communications as we
establish a new business structure as ‘One Sony’ intended to reinforce and
accelerate our overall business management.”
Hirai said Nordberg did “an outstanding job in
transforming Sony Ericsson and now Sony Mobile Communications, from a feature
phone to a smartphone company.” He will support Sony Mobile during the “critical
phases of the company’s integration with the wider Sony Group,” Hirai
said.
