6-K 1 tm254786d1_6k.htm FORM 6-K

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D. C. 20549

 

FORM 6-K

 

REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER

 

Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

For the month of January 2025

Commission File Number: 001-06439

 

SONY GROUP CORPORATION

(Translation of registrant’s name into English)

 

1-7-1 KONAN, MINATO-KU, TOKYO, 108-0075, JAPAN

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

The registrant files annual reports under cover of Form 20-F.

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F,

 

Form 20-F x  Form 40-F ¨

 

SIGNATURE

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

  SONY GROUP CORPORATION
(Registrant)
     
  By: /s/ Hiroki Totoki
      (Signature)
  Hiroki Totoki
  President, Chief Operating Officer and
  Chief Financial Officer

 

Date: January 29, 2025

 

List of Materials

 

Documents attached hereto:

 

i) Press release: Sony Group’s New Management Structure (Change of CEO and Representative Corporate Executive Officer)

 

 

 

January 29, 2025

Sony Group Corporation

 

Sony Group’s New Management Structure
(Change of CEO and Representative Corporate Executive Officer)

 

Sony Group Corporation (“Sony”) approved a new management structure effective April 1, 2025 at a meeting of its Board of Directors held today, and announced changes in the appointment and titles of Representative Corporate Executive Officers as follows. For further details of the new management structure including other executive appointments, please also refer to the attached press release.

 

1.Reason for Changes
Transition to a new management structure aimed at Sony Group’s long-term growth

 

2.Changes in Appointment and Titles of Representative Corporate Executive Officers

 

Name New Title Current Title
Kenichiro Yoshida Director, Chairman, Representative Corporate Executive Officer Director, Chairman and CEO, Representative Corporate Executive Officer
Hiroki Totoki Director, President and CEO, Representative Corporate Executive Officer Director, President, COO and CFO, Representative Corporate Executive Officer

Toshimoto Mitomo

(newly appointed)

CSO, Representative Corporate Executive Officer Executive Deputy President and CSO, Corporate Executive Officer

 

3.Biography of Newly Appointed Representative Corporate Executive Officer

 

Name Toshimoto Mitomo
Date of Birth January 6, 1963
Brief Personal History

April 1985

June 2013

June 2019

April 2022

April 2023

Joined Sony

SVP, Corporate Executive

EVP

Senior EVP, Corporate Executive Officer

Executive Deputy President and CSO, Corporate Executive Officer (present)

Number of Sony’s Shares Held 154,500 shares (as of the end of December 2024)

 

4.Effective Date of Changes

April 1, 2025

 

 

 

 

 


News & Information

Sony Group Corporation

1-7-1 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo

 

 

No. 25-005E

January 29, 2025

 

Changes to Sony Group’s Management Structure

Hiroki Totoki appointed as President and CEO effective April 1, 2025

 

Tokyo, Japan – Sony Group Corporation (“Sony”) today announced that Hiroki Totoki, currently Director, Representative Corporate Executive Officer, President, COO and CFO, has been newly appointed as Director, Representative Corporate Executive Officer, President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1, 2025. Kenichiro Yoshida, currently Director, Representative Corporate Executive Officer, Chairman and CEO, will become Director, Representative Corporate Executive Officer, Chairman, also effective April 1, 2025. These appointments were proposed by Kenichiro Yoshida to the Nominating Committee, and following deliberation by the Committee, were approved unanimously at the Board meeting held today.

 

Also effective April 1, 2025, Sony will implement changes to its management structure to clarify management roles according to their responsibilities for the management of the entire Group or of each business, and make further appointments, as outlined below.

 

In terms of the management structure changes, each of the Chief Executive Officers of the Sony Group’s major businesses will be designated as a “Business CEO”; each of those assisting the CEO who oversees the entire Group’s management, and has responsibility for wide-ranging headquarters functions, will be designated as a “Chief Officer”; and each of the executives in charge of functions at the Group headquarters will be designated as a “Corporate Executive.”

 

The following Chief Officers have been appointed: Toshimoto Mitomo as Chief Strategy Officer (current position), Tsuyoshi Kodera as Chief Digital Officer (current position), Yasuhiro Ito as Chief People Officer (new position), and Lin Tao as Chief Financial Officer (newly appointed). In addition, in the technology field, Hiroaki Kitano has been appointed as Chief Technology Fellow.

 

Comment from Kenichiro Yoshida

“To ensure that my succession contributes to Sony’s future long-term growth, I have been in discussion with the Nominating Committee and the Board of Directors for some time. Based on Hiroki Totoki’s contributions to Sony, including his achievements since being appointed as President and COO in April 2023, I proposed to them that he succeed me as CEO this April. I am grateful to the Nominating Committee and the Board for their support of this proposal. Totoki has been a key member of the management team ever since I became President and CEO in April 2018. He spearheaded growth strategies for the Sony Group, such as our investments in content IP and semiconductors, and is a leader capable of shaping our vision and strategy for future growth. Going forward, I will support Totoki as he leads his new management team.”

 

Comment from Hiroki Totoki

“I am incredibly honored and humbled to have been entrusted with the important role of President and CEO. At the same time, I am looking forward to working as CEO with our approximately 110,000 employees to further evolve and grow Sony. My predecessors as CEO, Kazuo Hirai and Kenichiro Yoshida, have greatly enhanced Sony’s value, and I will do my utmost to further build on this success and pass on an even better Sony to the next generation. At our Corporate Strategy Meeting in May of last year, we newly announced our ‘Creative Entertainment Vision,’ which outlines where we want Sony to be in 10 years, with our Purpose as the guiding principle. Our greatest driver in achieving this is the diversity of our businesses and people, which is part of Sony’s DNA, and our boundary spanners that transcend organizational barriers and organically connect that diversity to create new value. Together with our employees, creators, partners, and our new leadership team, I will work to create a bright future filled with a boundless sense of Kando (emotion).”

 

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Comment from Yoshihiko Hatanaka, Chair of the Board and Chair of the Nominating Committee

“As CEO, Kenichiro Yoshida has led Sony’s evolution and growth through the establishment of Sony’s Purpose and implementation of management initiatives centered around a ‘Creation Shift.’ We are extremely grateful for his significant contributions. Hiroki Totoki has served as CFO since 2018 and as President, COO and CFO from 2023, and the Board of Directors highly values his achievements and leadership driving Sony’s growth strategies, together with current CEO Yoshida. The Nominating Committee is continuously discussing succession plans for the management team and Totoki was evaluated as a strong candidate for CEO. With Yoshida’s proposal, the Committee conducted a multifaceted review, and the Board, taking into consideration the views of the Committee, today unanimously approved Totoki’s appointment as President and CEO. The Board will fully support the new management team together with Yoshida, who continues as Chairman.”

 

Sony Group Corporation Management Structure (as of April 1, 2025)*

[Those of equal rank are listed in order of appointment / changes to titles or areas of responsibility are underlined]

 

Kenichiro Yoshida Chairman
  Representative Corporate Executive Officer
   
Hiroki Totoki President and CEO
  Representative Corporate Executive Officer
   
[Business CEOs]  
   
Rob Stringer Officer in charge of Music Business (Global)
  Chairman, Sony Music Group
  CEO, Sony Music Entertainment
   
Shunsuke Muramatsu   Officer in charge of Music Business (Japan)
  President and Representative Director of the Board, CEO, Sony Music
  Entertainment (Japan) Inc.
   
Jon Platt               Officer in charge of Music Publishing (Global)
  Chairman and CEO, Sony Music Publishing
   
Kimio Maki Officer in charge of Entertainment, Technology & Services Business
  Representative Director, President and CEO, Sony Corporation
   
Toshihide Endo Director, President & CEO, Representative Corporate Executive Officer,
  Sony Financial Group Inc.

 

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Ravi Ahuja Officer in charge of Pictures Business
  President and CEO, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.
   
Shinji Sashida Officer in charge of Imaging & Sensing Solutions Business
(Newly appointed) Representative Director, President and CEO, Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
   
Hideaki Nishino Officer in charge of Game & Network Services Business
(Newly appointed) President and CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment
   
Hermen Hulst Officer in charge of Game Studio Business
(Newly appointed) CEO, Studio Business Group, Sony Interactive Entertainment
   
[Chief Officers]  
   
Toshimoto Mitomo      Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)
  Representative Corporate Executive Officer
  Officer in charge of Legal, Compliance, Privacy, Intellectual Property, Business
  Strategy, Sustainability, External Relations, Business Incubation Platform, Creative Platform and Mobility Business
   
Tsuyoshi Kodera Chief Digital Officer (CDO)
  Corporate Executive Officer
  Officer in charge of Digital & Technology Platform (Digital Transformation Strategy, Information Systems, Information Security and Advanced Technology), R&D, Technology Strategy and Quality Management
   
Yasuhiro Ito Chief People Officer (CPO)
  Corporate Executive Officer
  Officer in charge of Human Resources, General Affairs, the Corporate Executive Office and Lead of Group Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
   
Lin Tao Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
(Newly appointed) Corporate Executive Officer
  Officer in charge of Corporate Planning and Control, Corporate Strategy, Accounting, Tax, Finance, IR, Disclosure Controls, Risk Control, Internal Audit and SOX 404

 

[Chief Technology Fellow]  
   
Hiroaki Kitano Chief Technology Fellow
(Newly appointed)  

 

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[Corporate Executives]  
   
Karen L. Halby Senior Vice President
  President, Sony Corporation of America
   
Hirotoshi Korenaga Senior Vice President
  In charge of Accounting
   
Sadahiko Hayakawa     Senior Vice President
  In charge of Finance and IR
   
Naoya Horii Senior Vice President
  In charge of Corporate Planning and Control,
  Disc Manufacturing Business and Storage Media Business
   
Kaori Takezawa Senior Vice President
  In charge of Legal, Compliance, Privacy and External Relations
   
Robert Lawson Senior Vice President
  In charge of Corporate Communications
   
Yoshinori Matsumoto Senior Vice President
  In charge of Technology Strategy, Quality Management, Business Incubation
  Platform (Engineering) and Digital & Technology Platform (Advanced Technology)
  Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation
   
Kazuo Kii Senior Vice President
(Newly appointed) Sony Group China Representative
  Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation

 

Additionally, there will be the following changes among the current Sony Group Corporation executives (with respect to all, the date of retirement is at the end of March, 2025, and the date of appointment is effective April 1, 2025). 

Terushi Shimizu will retire from the position of Senior Executive Vice President and be appointed Director and Chairman of Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation; Kazushi Ambe will retire as Senior Executive Vice President and Corporate Executive Officer, while continuing to serve as President of Sony University to foster the next generation of business leaders; and Naomi Matsuoka will retire as Senior Vice President and is scheduled to be newly appointed Executive Vice President of Sony Bank Inc. Shiro Kambe, currently Senior Executive Vice President and Corporate Executive Officer, and Hisashi Tamai, Senior Vice President, will retire at the end of March 2025.

 

* Scheduled as of January 29, 2025

 

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