SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D. C. 20549
FORM
6-K
REPORT OF
FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
Pursuant
to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of
the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the
month of February, 2009
Commission
File Number: 001-06439
SONY
CORPORATION
(Translation
of registrant's name into English)
1-7-1
KONAN, MINATO-KU, TOKYO, 108-0075, JAPAN
(Address
of principal executive offices)
The
registrant files annual reports under cover of Form 20-F.
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports
under
cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F,
Sony
Corporation Announces Major Reorganization and New Management Team Led by Howard
Stringer
Moves
Will Draw on Company’s Core Strengths to Spark Further Innovation,
Strengthen
Competiveness, Improve Profitability and Position Sony as
A Global
Leader in Products and Services for the Digital, Networked
Age
Tokyo,
February 27, 2009 -- Sony Corporation (“Sony” or the “Company”) today announced
a major reorganization and a new management team. The changes,
effective April 1, 2009, will fundamentally reorganize the company’s electronics
and game businesses to improve profitability and strengthen competitiveness in
the midst of the continued global economic crisis. They will also
accelerate the production of innovative networked products and services by
strategically integrating these two business groups.
“Consumers
want products that are networked, multi-functional and service-enhanced
utilizing open technologies, and user experiences that are rich, shared and,
increasingly, green,” said Mr. Stringer in announcing these
changes. “This reorganization is designed to transform Sony into a
more innovative, integrated and agile global company with its next generation of
leadership firmly in place. The changes we’re announcing today will
accelerate the transformation of the Company that began four years
ago. They will now make it possible for all of Sony’s parts to work
together to assume a position of worldwide leadership and, together, achieve
great things.”
The Board
of Directors has endorsed a reorganization of the Company naming Mr. Stringer as
President of Sony Corporation in addition to his current responsibilities of
Chairman and CEO. Working with his newly appointed electronics
leadership team, he will directly oversee the electronics business to enable
faster implementation of his strategic direction.
At the
heart of the reorganization is the formation of two new business
groups:
▪ The
Networked Products & Services Group will include Sony Computer Entertainment
(“SCE”); personal computers (VAIO); new mobile products, including the current
WALKMAN lines; and Sony Media Software and Services, which develops a common
service platform across Sony products. The mandate of the group is to
maximize the potential and pace of Sony’s innovation and to enhance
profitability in networked products and services. The group also
plans to incubate new products leveraging Sony’s best technologies. Integral to
this process is the utilization and expansion of the PlayStation Network service
platform, which currently has 20 million registered accounts
globally.
Leading
the Networked Products & Services Group will be Kazuo Hirai, who will become
Executive Vice President of Sony Corporation and President of this group. He
will also continue in his current role as President and Group CEO of
SCE. Kunimasa Suzuki, currently President of the Consumer of America
Group of Sony Electronics in the U.S., will become Senior Vice President of Sony
Corporation and Deputy President of this group. Within this group,
Mr. Suzuki will lead the new home and mobile business incubation project to
create new products that utilize the best technologies from across the Company,
as well as the VAIO Business Group.
▪ The New
Consumer Products Group (“the New CPG”) will include the current Television,
Digital Imaging, Home Audio and Video businesses. The New CPG will
focus on profitability and sustained growth by enhancing product innovation and
competitiveness and improving the speed and efficiency of
operations. The New CPG will also concentrate resources on further
development and growth in emerging markets.
Hiroshi
Yoshioka will become Executive Deputy President of Sony Corporation and
President of the New CPG. (He is currently Executive Vice President of Sony
Corporation and President of the TV Business Group.) The
Semiconductor and Component Business Group will also report to him, to ensure
seamless coordination with Sony’s products and enhanced profitability for these
businesses. Yoshihisa Ishida, currently Senior Vice President and
President of the VAIO Business Group, will head the TV Business
Group.
In
addition, two cross-company units will be created with the aim of ensuring that
Sony’s networked products and services can communicate seamlessly with a common
user interface and will reach consumers in a fast, cost-effective and efficient
manner:
▪ The
Common Software and Technology team, to be led by Senior Vice President
Keiichiro Shimada, will develop and implement integrated technology and software
solutions across the products groups, and provide coordinated software
development services to the product groups. This group’s goal will be
to assure maximum efficiency, common user experiences and consistent
technologies. Mr. Shimada will also oversee R&D and technology
strategy.
▪ The
Manufacturing/Logistics/Procurement team, to be headed by Yutaka Nakagawa,
Executive Deputy President, will be charged with ensuring the most efficient
supply chain solutions throughout these two new business groups. The group will
leverage scale in procurement, eliminate duplication and redundancy, outsource
manufacturing and design processes as appropriate, and help improve the
Company’s green product profile.
As of
April 1, Dr. Ryoji Chubachi will become Vice Chairman of the
Company. He will remain a member of the Board and a Representative
Corporate Executive Officer and will assist the CEO and also oversee product
safety and quality, and Sony’s environmental policies.
Katsumi
Ihara is expected to become an executive director of Sony Financial Holdings
Inc. (“SFH”) subject to the determination at the annual SFH Shareholders Meeting
to be held in June 2009, and will no longer be a member of the Board or a
Corporate Executive Officer of Sony Corporation as of April 1,
2009. Between April 1 and his appointment in June 2009, he will
remain with Sony Corporation as Corporate Executive, Executive Deputy
President.
Since the
start of the current management structure in June 2005, Sony has implemented a
number of structural reforms, improved product competitiveness and enhanced
cross-company collaboration under the Sony United initiative. As a
result, the Company achieved new fiscal year records in sales and net income in
the fiscal year 2007.
Based on
this strengthened management foundation, the new management structure announced
today aims to provide new products and services, create new customer value,
strengthen competitiveness and improve profitability.
“I look
forward to supporting the new management team as they transition into new areas
of responsibility and to continuing to add value in my new role,” said Dr.
Chubachi. “I am pleased that, building on the structure we’ve created
over the years, the company is poised for an even greater future.”
Additional
details of these organizational and personnel changes will be announced at a
later date.