Updated on July 22, 2019
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Kenichiro Yoshida | Director |
| Hiroki Totoki | Director |
| Shuzo Sumi | Chairman of the Board Outside Director |
| Tim Schaaff | Non-Executive Director |
| Kazuo Matsunaga | Vice Chairman of the Board Outside Director |
| Koichi Miyata | Outside Director |
| John V. Roos | Outside Director |
| Eriko Sakurai | Outside Director |
| Kunihito Minakawa | Outside Director |
| Toshiko Oka | Outside Director |
| Sakie Akiyama | Outside Director |
| Wendy Becker | Outside Director |
| Yoshihiko Hatanaka | Outside Director |
Under the Companies Act, the term of office of Directors expires at the conclusion of the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders held with respect to the last business year ending within one year after their election.
For the matters to be decided by the Board and the matters to be reported to the Board, refer to the page below .
With a view toward securing effective input and oversight by the Board, the Nominating Committee reviews and selects candidates for the Board with the aim of assuring that a substantial part of the Board is comprised of qualified outside Directors that satisfy the independence requirements established by Sony Corporation and by law. The Nominating Committee selects candidates that it views as well-suited to be Directors in light of the Board's purpose of enhancing Sony's corporate value. The Nominating Committee broadly considers various relevant factors, including a candidate's capabilities (such as the candidate's experience, achievements, and expertise), availability, and independence, as well as diversity in the boardroom such as gender and nationality, the appropriate size of the Board, and the knowledge, experiences and talent needed for the role. Under the Charter of the Board (the "Board Charter"), Sony Corporation also requires that the Board consist of not fewer than 10 Directors and not more than 20 Directors. In addition, since 2005 the majority of the members of the Board have been outside Directors.
The qualifications for Directors of Sony Corporation under the Board Charter are generally as summarized below. As of June 19, 2019, all Directors satisfy the qualifications for Directors as set forth below, and all outside Directors satisfy the additional qualifications for outside Directors and are also qualified and designated as Independent Directors under the Securities Listing Regulations of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Also, each outside Director may, by resolution of the Nominating Committee, be nominated as a Director candidate for re-election five times, and thereafter by resolution of the Nominating Committee and by consent of all of the Directors. Even with consent of all of the Directors, in no event may any outside Director be re-elected more than eight times.
Sony Corporation expects that each outside Director play an important role in ensuring proper business decisions by Sony and effective input and oversight by the Board through actively exchanging opinions and having discussions about Sony’s business based on his or her various and broad experience, knowledge and expertise. Considering these expectations, the policy and procedures on the election of Director candidates, including independent outside Director candidates, are set forth as described above. As of June 18, 2019, the Board has 13 Directors, ten of whom are outside Directors. The Chairman of the Board is an outside Director; the Nominating Committee has five Directors, four of whom are outside Directors; the Compensation Committee has three Directors, all of whom are outside Directors; and the Audit Committee has four Directors, all of whom are outside Directors.
Sony Corporation has appointed Corporate Executive Officers, including the CEO, and other officers that assume important roles for the management of Sony as Senior Executives.
The Board, a majority of which is comprised of independent outside Directors, has the authority to appoint and dismiss Senior Executives, including the CEO, and assign the roles and responsibilities of Senior Executives. In making decisions on the appointment of Senior Executives, including the CEO, the Board considers whether candidates for CEO meet certain qualifications for the CEO position which are set by the Nominating Committee and whether candidates for other Senior Executives have the necessary skills, capabilities, experiences and achievements that correspond to such Senior Executive’s expected roles and responsibilities.
The tenure of Senior Executives, including the CEO, is one year. The Board determines their re-appointment upon the expiration of each term considering the factors described above as well as their latest performance. The Board dismisses a Senior Executive, as necessary, in the event that the Board recognizes such Senior Executive is disqualified after discussions amongst the members of the Board or the Nominating Committee, even in the middle of the term for such Senior Executive.
