Kazuo Hirai is a legendary figure at Japanese conglomerate Sony. The former CEO is credited with leading the company’s turnaround in recent years. Now, he has decided to take a well-earned retirement. An announcement sent out today confirmed that after 35 years of service at the company, Kazuo Hirai will now be retiring.
Hirai took the CEO job in 2012 as he replaced Sir Howard Stringer and set about implementing a turnaround strategy that saw the company become a profitable business once again. Hirai previously led Sony’s PlayStation business and that also played a significant part in returning the company to profitability.
He stepped down from the CEO role in April last year. He transitioned to chairman of the board while his CFO Kenichiro Yoshida became CEO. Hirai will now be retiring as the Chairman of Sony Corporation on June 18th, 2019. However, the company says that he will continue to provide guidance as requested by Sony’s management team in the capacity of Senior Advisor for the Company.
“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,” Hirai said in a statement.