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Hiroki Totoki
Japanese businessman (born 1964) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Hiroki Totoki (十時 裕樹; born July 17, 1964) is a Japanese businessman. He is currently the President and CEO of Sony Group Corporation,[1] Chairman of Sony Interactive Entertainment, and co-founder of Sony Bank Inc. He is originally from Yamaguchi Prefecture.[2]
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Totoki has built an extensive career spanning over three decades within Sony Group Corporation. His long tenure culminated in his appointment as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sony Group Corporation, effective April 1, 2025. Throughout his career, Totoki has played a significant role in shaping Sony's strategic direction, particularly its pivot towards entertainment businesses, including gaming, music, film, and television.[3][4][5][6]
Totoki's journey from joining Sony in 1987 to becoming CEO in 2025 was a carefully planned succession,[7] openly proposed by the outgoing CEO Kenichiro Yoshida and unanimously endorsed by the Board of Directors.[8][9]
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Early career
After graduating from Yamaguchi Prefectural Yamaguchi High School and the School of Commerce at Waseda University, he joined Sony (now the Sony Group) in 1987. In 2001, he founded Sony Bank with Shigeru Ishii.[10] In 2005, he became Senior Managing Director of Sony Communication Network (now Sony Network Communications). After serving as Executive Vice President, he became an Executive Officer of Sony (now the Sony Group) in 2013.
In 2014, he was transferred to Group Executive Officer and was simultaneously appointed President and CEO of Sony Mobile Communications. He was subsequently appointed Sony Executive Officer and CSO in 2017, Senior Managing Director and CFO in 2018, and Executive Vice President and CFO in 2020, before being promoted to President, COO and CFO on April 1, 2023. On April 1, 2025, he will become Representative Director, President and CEO, succeeding Kenichiro Yoshida.[11][12][13]
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Career at Sony Group
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Hiroki Totoki's career at Sony Group Corporation is marked by a steady ascent through various critical divisions and executive roles, demonstrating his broad expertise across the conglomerate's diverse portfolio.
Initial Roles and Progression (1987-2013)
Totoki began his professional journey at Sony Corporation in April 1987, marking the start of his extensive and influential tenure with the company. His early leadership responsibilities included serving as Representative Director of Sony Bank Incorporated from February 2002 until June 2005. In June 2005, he was appointed Director, Corporate Executive Officer, and Senior Managing Director of Sony Communication Network Corporation. This entity underwent several name changes over the years, evolving into So-net Entertainment Corporation (October 2006), So-net Corporation (July 2013), and eventually Sony Network Communications Inc. (July 2016). He continued to assume increasingly senior positions within these network communication entities, including Representative Director, Corporate Executive Officer, and Senior Managing Director from April 2012, and subsequently Deputy President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) from April 2013.[14][15][16]
Ascension to Senior Leadership (2013-2023)
In December 2013, Totoki transitioned to a broader corporate role within Sony Corporation, taking on the position of Senior Vice President, Corporate Executive. In this capacity, he was responsible for Business Strategy, Corporate Development, and Transformation. His responsibilities expanded further in April 2014 to encompass Corporate Planning, Finance, the New Business Creation Department, and the Business Design & Innovation Laboratory. From November 2014, he held dual roles as Group Executive at Sony Corporation and as President & CEO of Sony Mobile Communications Inc..
He was promoted to Executive Vice President, Corporate Executive Officer at Sony Corporation in April 2016, with oversight of the New Business Platform (Strategy), while concurrently serving as President and Representative Director of So-net Corporation. In June 2017, he assumed the role of Executive Vice President, Corporate Executive Officer, and Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of Sony Corporation, focusing on Mid-to-Long Term Business Strategy and New Business initiatives. A pivotal appointment occurred in April 2018 when he was named Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and Representative Corporate Executive Officer of Sony Corporation, a role that was further elevated to Senior Executive Vice President, CFO in June 2018. He continued to serve as Executive Deputy President and CFO, Representative Corporate Executive Officer from June 2020, and maintained this position for Sony Group Corporation (following its renaming in April 2021) from April 2021.[17][18]
President, COO, and CFO (2023-2025)
In April 2023, Hiroki Totoki was appointed Director, President, Chief Operating Officer (COO), and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Representative Corporate Executive Officer of Sony Group Corporation. Demonstrating his increasing involvement in key divisions, he also served as Interim CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) from April 2024, subsequently becoming Chairman of SIE in June 2024.[19][20]
Appointment as President and CEO (Effective April 2025)
On January 29, 2025, Sony Group Corporation officially announced Hiroki Totoki's appointment as Director, Representative Corporate Executive Officer, President, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), with the transition effective April 1, 2025. This significant leadership transition was proposed by the outgoing Chairman and CEO, Kenichiro Yoshida, and received unanimous approval from Sony's Board of Directors following a review by the Nominating Committee. Yoshida publicly cited Totoki's significant contributions to Sony's growth strategies, specifically highlighting his role in spearheading investments in content intellectual property (IP) and semiconductors, as key reasons for his succession. The announcement was met positively by the market, evidenced by a 3.4% rise in Sony's share price.
The extensive and varied trajectory of Hiroki Totoki's career within Sony Group, encompassing finance, network services, mobile communications, and strategic corporate planning, culminating in his leadership of the critical gaming division, reveals a comprehensive understanding of the company's multifaceted operations. This broad exposure is particularly relevant as he himself has articulated the importance of "boundary spanners" in Sony's "Creative Entertainment Vision". His own professional journey, spanning diverse business units, exemplifies this concept. This suggests that Totoki is not merely a specialist in one area but a leader capable of identifying and leveraging the intricate connections and potential synergies across Sony's highly diversified portfolio. His personal experience navigating these varied segments has likely informed his vision for a more interconnected and synergistic Sony Group, positioning him uniquely to lead the company's entertainment-first strategy by harnessing its collective strengths.
Key Career Appointments at Sony Group
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Strategic Vision and Contributions
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Hiroki Totoki has been a pivotal figure in shaping Sony's contemporary strategic direction, particularly its intensified focus on entertainment and content.
Emphasis on Entertainment and Content IP
Totoki has been a key architect in Sony's strategic pivot, emphasizing its entertainment businesses, which include gaming, music, film, and television. Under his influence and leadership, these entertainment sectors now constitute a significant portion of Sony's consolidated sales, accounting for approximately 60-61%. He has been instrumental in spearheading substantial investments in content intellectual property (IP) and semiconductors, which have been identified as crucial drivers for Sony's sustained revenue and profit growth. Totoki has publicly articulated his belief in the "power of entertainment to move people and to fill the world with emotion" as a fundamental rationale behind this strategic shift.[21][22]
"Creative Entertainment Vision"
In his comments regarding his CEO appointment, Totoki referenced Sony's "Creative Entertainment Vision," a long-term strategy announced in May of the previous year. This vision outlines the company's aspirations for the next decade, guided by its core Purpose. He has articulated plans to "create infinite realities, together with creators, partners and employees" by fostering synergies across Sony's diverse business units. A central tenet of his vision emphasizes the diversity of Sony's businesses and its people, along with the role of "boundary spanners"—individuals or teams that transcend organizational barriers to connect this diversity and generate new value—as the primary drivers for achieving this vision. Totoki's stated goal is to collaborate with all stakeholders, including employees, creators, partners, and the new leadership team, to build a future characterized by a "boundless sense of Kando (emotion)".
Totoki's repeated invocation of "Kando" (emotion) and the "power of entertainment to move people" extends beyond a mere corporate slogan; it appears to be a deeply embedded philosophical and strategic principle guiding his leadership. This emphasis on emotional connection is presented as the ultimate output and value proposition of Sony's entertainment-first strategy, directly linking abstract emotional impact to concrete business outcomes such as revenue and profit growth. This approach suggests that Totoki aims to unify Sony's disparate entertainment divisions under a common, emotionally resonant purpose. By prioritizing "Kando," he seeks to foster a corporate culture that values impactful creative output across all entertainment forms. This philosophy provides a cohesive narrative for both internal alignment and external branding, facilitating the "synergies" and "boundary spanners" he champions. It positions Sony not just as a producer of content, but as a purveyor of profound emotional experiences, a strategic differentiator in the highly competitive global entertainment market.[23][24][25]
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Current position
- Director, President and CEO, Sony Group Corporation.[26]
- Non- executive Director of Sony Corporation.[27]
- Non-executive Director, Sony Financial Holdings Inc.[28]
- Non-executive Director, Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation.[29]
- Non-executive Director, Sony Music Entertainment Inc.[30]
- Outside Director of Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd.[31]
References
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