| Kazuo Hirai | |
|---|---|
Hirai holding a PlayStation Vita prototype at PlayStation Meeting 2011 |
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| Born | December 22, 1960 [1] Tokyo, Japan |
| Occupation | Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation Chairman, Sony Computer Entertainment |
Kazuo "Kaz" Hirai (平井 一夫 Hirai Kazuo, born December 22, 1960) is the Representative Corporate Executive Officer and Executive Deputy President of Sony Corporation, concurrently serving as president of the Consumer Products & Services Group, which includes all of Sony's consumer electronics (including TV, home video, home audio, digital imaging, PC, game, and mobile products) and networked service businesses. He also serves as Chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group.[2] He was noted by Entertainment Weekly as one of the most powerful executives in the world.[3] Hirai became Chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment on September 1, 2011 and was replaced by Andrew House as President and Group CEO.[4]
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Hirai was born in 1960 in Tokyo, Japan. The son of a wealthy banker, Hirai often traveled with his father across the world to California, New York, and Canada and around Japan — a trait which Hirai noted to be a major factor in his later multi-continental business success.
It was his interest in games that later brought him into the entertainment business. After graduating from the International Christian University in August 1984 with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree, Hirai was hired at CBS/Sony Inc. (now Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.), where he was involved in marketing international music within Japan. His hard work and dedication allowed him to rise through the ranks, eventually placing him once again in New York, where he became head of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan's international business affairs office.
In August 1995, Hirai joined Sony's computer and video game division, Sony Computer Entertainment America.[3] Two years later, in 1997, Hirai was credited on his first completed video game.
Since heading up Sony Computer Entertainment America, Kazuo Hirai has been instrumental in Sony's success. He played a fundamental role in the rise of the PlayStation in the United States, and his methods of cross-promoting of the PlayStation brand took its advertising beyond merely "game" or computer oriented fields. PlayStation advertisements were placed in mainstream sports events such as the NBA, the NFL, the NHL and even NASCAR. This method of marketing has been credited with introducing large numbers of individuals to video games who would ordinarily have not considered purchasing a console.
With the release of the PlayStation 2 in 2000, Kazuo continued his success, utilizing second-party franchises such as Jak and Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper, and SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs series of games. Under his leadership, SCEA continually managed to retain high profits throughout the sixth generation era.
On July 3, 2006, Sony Computer Entertainment announced that Hirai had been made a vice president of its corporate executive group on July 1, 2006.[5]
On November 30, 2006, just under two weeks after the launch of PlayStation 3, Hirai replaced Ken Kutaragi as President of Sony Computer Entertainment. While maintaining his positions at SCEA, Hirai also became chief operating officer of SCEI. Kutaragi himself was promoted to chairman of SCEI, and remained chief executive officer of the group.[6]
On April 26, 2007, it was announced that Hirai will be promoted to President and Group CEO of SCEI, replacing Ken Kutaragi who would retire and instead take up the role of Honorary Chairman.[7][8][9][10]
On April 1, 2009, Sony’s electronics and game businesses were merged and reconfigured as two major groups: the Consumer Products & Devices Group (CPDG) and the Networked Products & Services Group (NPSG). Hirai was appointed as Corporate Executive Officer and Executive Vice President of Sony Corporation, concurrently serving as president of the NPSG. He has overseen all development, production and marketing activities at the NPSG, comprising Sony's game (i.e. SCEI & Sony Online Entertainment), personal computer (VAIO), networked mobile (including Walkman) and network service (including online distributions of music, video, books, etc.) businesses and new business incubation projects.[11][12]
On April 1, 2011, Sony's consumer electronics, game, and networked service businesses were reorganized into one group, named the "Consumer Products & Services Group." Hirai was promoted to Representative Corporate Executive Officer and Executive Deputy President of Sony Corporation. He oversees the Consumer Products & Services Group.[13][14] Hirai will also possibly become the successor to Howard Stringer, the current sitting president and CEO of Sony Corporation, who is expected to step down in 2013.[15]
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