It was Kenichiro Yoshida himself who proposed this new organization to the board of directors, within which Hiroki Totoki will combine the functions of president, director of operations and financial director, making him the new great captain of the strategy of the Japanese group, whose activities range from video games to insurance via electronics, cinema, television, music and even the automobile recently. Kenichiro Yoshida, who replaced Kazuo Hirai in 2018, is not retiring and will govern alongside Hiroki Totoki as general manager and chairman of the board of directors. Approved by the Board, these changes will be effective from April 1, 2023, the start of the new fiscal year.
Originally from Yamaguchi prefecture, Hiroki Totoki joined Sony in 1987 after studying at Waseda University. Working mainly in finance, he notably worked for Sony Bank, Sony Mobile and Sony Network Communications subsidiaries. He was appointed Chief Financial Officer in 2018 and has a long-standing professional relationship with Kenichiro Yoshida. Relying on the restructuring work of Kazuo Hirai, whose recovery measures brought a company in very bad shape out of the red, the pair then propelled Sony towards the best years in its history on the economic level. For the financial year ended March 31, 2023, Sony Group Corporation is also targeting a new record turnover of 81 billion euros (including 25 billion euros from PlayStation).
“Last summer, I received a proposal from Kenichiro Yoshida recommending that Hiroki Totoki be newly appointed President and COO, to strengthen the management structure of the group. With all of us on the Board in agreement that Mr. Totoki had performed exceptionally well as Chief Financial Officer, the Nominating Committee then embarked on a multi-faceted review process including the assessment of the need for a COO and the suitability of Mr. Totoki in these roles of President and COO. This proposal was discussed within the board and unanimously approved at today’s board meetingcommented Shuzo Sumi, Chairman of the Board and Nominating Committee.
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