Sony Ericsson appoints Bob Ishida as Executive VP

Bob Ishida will be joining Sony Ericsson as Deputy CEO and Executive Vice President with effect from 1 September, while current Deputy CEO Rikko Sakaguchi will be leaving Sony Ericsson to take up a position at Sony Corporation.

Bob will be based at Sony Ericsson’s largest R&D facility in Lund, Sweden where he will take up the assignment as Deputy CEO and EVP. He will have responsibility for Sony Ericsson’s design centre and product and portfolio development teams as well as taking on a broader executive role to enhance integration and alignment across Sony Ericsson.

Bob is currently Corporate Executive, SVP, in charge of Platform & Partner Strategy and President of Sony’s Home Entertainment Business Group. He previously served as President of Sony’s TV Business Group as well as VAIO Business Group at Sony Corporation. He has a history of delivering strong results as part of Sony Corporation’s core leadership team within a range of disciplines across consumer electronics, IT and communications. Bob has recently been involved in developing the Android-based Sony Internet TV.

Bob Ishida commented:  ‘I am excited about taking up the role of Deputy CEO and EVP at Sony Ericsson. Working closely with Bert Nordberg and the management team we will further strengthen the existing product portfolio by integrating content and services while leveraging the partnership with Sony and other key strategic partners’.

Bob’s appointment will provide greater focus on the integration of content and services into Sony Ericsson’s product portfolio. He will contribute to the company’s technology strategy that will deliver on Sony Ericsson’s ambition of becoming a leader in Android.

Rikko Sakaguchi has been part of the leadership of Sony Ericsson since the start up of the Joint Venture in 2001 most recently as Chief Creation Officer overseeing product and portfolio development. Since 2001 Rikko has provided a creative vision and strong leadership as Sony Ericsson built its brand through innovative music and imaging devices. More recently he has been instrumental in guiding the company as it develops Android smartphones which bring together communication and entertainment through a focused and innovative product portfolio.