Kaz Hirai's the new big-wig at Sony Corp.

He'll take over from Sir Howard Stringer — who will stay on as executive chairman until June — when the new roles come into effect on April 1st.

Hirai's a long-time Sony employee, having cut his teeth in the conglomerate's music business. His dedication was rewarded with a high-profile role at Sony Computer Entertainment — a division which he has ran in recent years.

“I am grateful to Sir Howard and to the Board for their confidence in me, and I look forward to working with everyone at Sony more closely than ever before to build a strong future for our customers, shareholders, partners and employees,” said a delighted Hirai.

“The foundations are now firmly in place for the new management team and me to fully leverage Sony’s diverse electronics product portfolio, in conjunction with our rich entertainment assets and growing array of networked services, to engage with our customers around the world in new and exciting ways.”

Beyond June, Stringer will take over from Yotaro Kobayashi as board chairman due to Kobayashi's impending retirement.

“Kaz is a globally focused executive for whom technology and the cloud are familiar territory, content is highly valued, and digital transformation is second nature,” said Stringer.

“I believe his tough-mindedness and leadership skills will be of great benefit to the company and its customers in the months and years ahead. I look forward to helping Kaz in every way I can so that succession leads inevitably to success.”

Big congratulations to Kaz Hirai. He's got a tough road ahead of him given Sony's current financial status, but he worked wonders rectifying the PlayStation 3's disastrous launch. If anyone can turn the company around, it's Hirai.