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Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe has promoted Simon Rutter (pictured) to chief operating officer and Tim Stokes to senior vice president of sales, commercial and operations.
Rutter, who was previously executive vice president, has been part of the SIEE team since 1997, holding a number of positions in marketing and sales. As COO, he will oversee SIEE’s third party relations and content function as well as the division’s marketing, finance, IT, legal and HR.
This will likely prove key for third-party partners, as it should help streamline the company and improve its overall efficiency, both locally and worldwide.
Rutter said: 2016 was a momentous year. Launching three new hardware devices (the slimmer and lighter PlayStation 4, PS4 Pro, and PlayStation VR) was a huge challenge for the entire operation and one which we accomplished with great success. I’m delighted to be taking on this new role within the business and look forward to the year ahead.”
Meanwhile, Tim Stokes will oversee sales, commercial and operations in his new role as senior VP of sales, commercial and operations.
President of global sales and marketing for SIE and president of SIEE Jim Ryan commented: I am excited by the opportunity that this new management structure brings to drive further efficiencies and growth within SIEE. The talents of both Simon and Tim will help future proof us as we move into the next stage of PlayStation and SIE’s evolution.”
The news comes a year after Sony made a number of changes to its senior management team when it merged its Computer Entertainment and Network Entertainment operations to form Sony Interactive Entertainment.
At the time, Jim Ryan was made responsible for SIE’s global sales and marketing in addition to his role as president of SIEE, while Andrew House took on the role of president and global CEO while also being responsible for global partner development and relations. Shawn Layden also became head of worldwide studios at SIE. These changes went into effect on April 1st 2016.
