Sony has chosen long-serving finance head Hiroki Totoki as its next chief executive as the Japanese technology giant overhauls its leadership, installing new heads of key divisions, including its PlayStation business.

Totoki will take over from Kenichiro Yoshida in April, in a well-flagged succession that has seen the new chief executive assume a series of high-profile roles in recent years, including chief operating officer and chief financial officer.

Yoshida, who has held the CEO post since 2018, will remain as chair, Sony said in a statement on Wednesday.

The company has also appointed its first female chief financial officer, with Lin Tao replacing Totoki.

Sony also named Hideaki Nishino as the new head of its core games business, which includes its PlayStation operations, after the departure of Jim Ryan last year.

Sony is in the middle of a multibillion-dollar push into producing more original content, as part of a “creation shift” that it hopes will win it a greater share of the $3tn entertainment industry.

Under Yoshida, the group has spent $10bn over the past six years to build its vast portfolio of games, films and music — the three business segments that account for 60 per cent of its annual revenue.

It has also scored some big hits with titles such as The Last of Us, which was converted from a PlayStation game into a hugely popular television series, and Uncharted, another video game adaptation for cinema.

This is a developing story

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