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In a press release, Sony Corporation revealed that former president and CEO Kaz Hirai, who stepped into the Chairman position in April 2018 just a year ago, has now set a summer retirement date of June 18, 2019.
According to Kaz Hirai himself:
“Since passing the baton of CEO to Yoshida-san last April, as Chairman of Sony, I have had the opportunity to both ensure a smooth transition and provide support to Sony’s management. I am confident that everyone at Sony is fully aligned under Yoshida-san’s strong leadership, and are ready to build an even brighter future for Sony. As such, I have decided to depart from Sony, which has been a part of my life for the past 35 years. I would like to extend my warmest gratitude to all our employees and stakeholders who have supported me throughout this journey.”
That said, Hirai’s presence will still be felt at the company, as Sony’s management team has requested him to act as Senior Advisor for Sony. According to current CEO and president Kenichiro Yoshida, Hirai had contributed to management reforms since 2013, and while he was retiring from his current roles, they looked forward to “his continuing high-level support to Sony’s management that encompasses a breadth of diverse businesses.”
