Sony Mobile chief marketing officer, Steve Walker, has quit the company as it restructures its sales and marketing divisions to bring its brand in line with the “One Sony” global operating model.
The new strategy will bring its range of products together in the same marketing campaigns to show Sony as a lifestyle brand, rather than the current marketing model which comprises separate activity for each type of device.
Dennis van Schie, CVP, sales and marketing at Sony Mobile said of his departure: “The mobile business is at the heart of Sony’s strategy to bring consumers connected entertainment experiences across devices. These structural changes will help support our ‘One Sony’ model of working and will provide the framework for our business to progress to the next level.
“We would like to thank Steve for his tremendous contribution to Sony over the last seventeen years. He has helped the company make the transition from feature phones to smartphones, driven our brand evolution from Sony Ericsson to Sony and built a strong Global campaign to launch our flagship smartphone for 2013, Xperia Z. We wish him all the best as he moves forward in the next stage of his career.”
Walker confirmed he will leave Sony Mobile in March, saying: “My years with the company have seen enormous change and progression from a brand and marketing perspective. Leading Sony’s marketing transition into the mobile category has given me great professional and personal satisfaction. The launch of Xperia Z, along with a global marketing campaign of which I am extremely proud, marks the start of the next chapter in the company’s story. Having reached this important milestone, it feels like the natural time for me to move on to new challenges.”
A spokesman added: “Steve has made the decision to exit the business. His plans for the future are a matter for him to communicate at the appropriate time.”
Walker will be replaced by Jacob Sten, who currently heads up Sony Mobile’s newly formed product marketing department.