Howard Stringer becomes the first foreign head of Sony in history

67-year-old Nobuyuki Idei officially steps down

The latest news on June 22, Beijing time , Howard Stringer was officially appointed as the company's CEO by Sony's shareholder meeting today, becoming the first foreign head in Sony's history. It also marked the end of Nobuyuki Idei's era at Sony.

Stringer, 63, is originally from Wales, England, and later obtained American citizenship. Prior to becoming CEO of Sony, Stringer served as CEO of Sony Corporation of America. While Sony has struggled overall in recent years, its music and movie businesses have thrived under Stringer. Stringer's predecessor, Nobuyuki Idei, 67, has been at the helm of Sony for the past decade.

In March this year, Sony's board of directors appointed Stringer as the company's CEO, but he still needs approval from the shareholders' meeting before he can officially take office. Due to fierce market competition, Sony's consumer electronics business continues to suffer losses. The huge expenditures caused by restructuring and being defeated by competitors in some important fields have made Sony, the former consumer electronics overlord, no longer in glory. Stringer is bound to face huge challenges if he wants to lead Sony to regain its glory.

Before joining Sony in 1997, Stringer spent 30 years in news reporting at Viacom's CBS. After taking office as CEO, Stringer will become the link between Sony's entertainment business and electronics business. In the past few years, Sony has been hoping to organically combine its entertainment business with its electronics business, but has not been successful. Sony said in a statement that Stringer will continue to live in the United States from now on, but will frequently travel between the United States and Japan.

Also appointed with Stringer were Sony President Nakahachi Ryoharu and Chief Financial Officer Katsumi Ihara. They are both Japanese and have extensive experience working in the electronics industry.