Welshman Howard Stringer has been promoted to the role of Chairman and CEO of Sony Corp, the Tokyo based parent company of all the Sony businesses. It is quite a promotion for the former
Sony Music executive, with few expecting the Japanese company to appoint a European as their new top man.
Stringer will take over from outgoing Sony boss Nobuyuki Idei who has been forced to take responsibility for the group's recent downturn.
Word has it Sony investors have been impressed with Stringer's recent work as head of Sony US, in particular his involvement in the SonyBMG merger and the group's takeover of Hollywood studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
One of the key tasks for Stringer now will be to consolidate Sony's position in the digital music market place where Apple and others have stolen ground on what some would argue should have been natural Sony territory. The consensus is Sony's fortunes in the download space depend on different Sony divisions collaborating
- with the Sony Ericsson Walkman mobile and the PlayStation
Portable both seen as the products which could relaunch the
Japanese giant into the digital music space.
On the latter Stringer will have to build a good working relationship with the group's Chief Operating Officer Ken Kutaragi who oversees the PlayStation business. This may prove interesting as many insiders expected Kutaragi, and not Stringer, to get the top job when Idei stood down.