Who is Hiroki Totoki? Meet the new CEO of the PlayStation brand

The unexpected news of Jim Ryan’s retirement as president and executive director of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), announced this Wednesday (28), means a change in the Japanese giant’s corporate structure. And an interim replacement has already been announced.

With the departure of the person responsible for the PlayStation brand, another executive immediately takes his place: Hiroki Totoki, another Sony veteran. He will remain in the position on an interim basis until Ryan’s replacement is chosen — the current president will leave in March 2024.

Jim Ryan leaves office at the beginning of 2024.Source: Sony

It’s natural that you don’t know him, since he works in management positions and has little visibility in the company. However, it is likely to appear more frequently in the coming months, especially in advertisements related to games and consoles.

Who is Hiroki Totoki?

Na Sony since 1987, Japanese Hiroki Totoki is 59 years old and holds two very important and high-ranking positions at Sony. At the same time, he is financial manager (CFO) e operations manager (COO) of the entire group.

This means that, in the company hierarchy, Totoki responds only to the CEO of the Sony GroupKenichiro Yoshida, and his role involves ensure results and supervise divisions such as Sony Picturesa Sony Musicthe PlayStation group, the electronics unit and the company’s semiconductor segment.

Totoki participated in changes in Sony’s mobile sector over the last decade.Fonte:  GettyImages

Previously, he participated in the launch of the online bank Sony Bankwhich has operated only in Japan since 2001, in addition to having headed the Business Strategy, Corporate Development, Finance e Development of new business in company.

Totoki became director and chief financial officer of Sony Network Communications in 2013 and, in the following year, he was responsible for restructuring the company’s entire mobile communications unit — which means the Xperia smartphone brand, which at the time was still quite relevant in the market.

Among the decisions taken directly by him are the greater investment in the chip sector it’s at acquisition of record label EMI Music Publishingmade in 2018.

In late 2017, he moved to the role of Senior Executive Vice President of Sony Corporation as a whole, and in 2020, he gained the role of CFO. He held the position until the beginning of this year, when he also held the position of COO.

Totoki during Sony conference.Source: Sony

In a meeting during the last job change, Totoki described himself as a person “obsessed with growth” is at “make a concrete project”claiming that, when this does not happen, the company runs the risk of “fall into a negative spiral”.