Howard Stringer

Last updated

Sir
Howard Stringer
Sir Howard Stringer Shankbone Metropolitan Opera 2009.jpg
Stringer at opening night of the 2009 Metropolitan Opera
Born (1942-02-19) 19 February 1942 (age 82)
Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
Education University of Oxford
Alma mater Merton College, Oxford [1] [2]
Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
OccupationNon-executive director of the BBC
SpouseJennifer A. Kinmond Patterson
Family Rob Stringer (brother)
Military career
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branchFlag of the United States Army.svg  United States Army
Years of service1965–1967
Battles/wars Vietnam War

Sir Howard Stringer (born 19 February 1942) is a Welsh-American businessman. He had a 30-year career at CBS, culminating in him serving as the president of CBS News from 1986 to 1988, then president of CBS from 1988 to 1995. He served as chairman of the board, chairman, president and CEO of Sony Corporation from 2005 to 2012. [3] He is also the head of the board of trustees of the American Film Institute and now serves as a non-executive director of the BBC. He was knighted in 1999.

Contents

Early life

Stringer was born in Cardiff, Wales, the son of Marjorie Mary (née Pook), a Welsh schoolteacher, and Harry Stringer, a sergeant in the Royal Air Force. [4]

His younger brother, Rob Stringer, was president of Sony Music Label Group. [5]

Stringer attended 11 secondary schools by the time he was 16, including Oundle School in Northamptonshire. [1] [ dubious – discuss ] He received a Master of Arts from the University of Oxford in Modern History. [6]

Career

Stringer moved to the United States in 1965. After working at CBS's flagship station WCBS-TV for six weeks, he was drafted into the United States Army, and served as a military policeman in Saigon for ten months in the Vietnam War. [7] [8] [9] [10] He did not serve in combat, but was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious achievement.

Stringer returned to CBS, where he had a 30-year career. He started in a series of lowly jobs, including answering backstage phones for The Ed Sullivan Show . [11] In 1976, he became executive producer of the documentary series CBS Reports . [12] Then, from 1981 to 1984, he was executive producer of the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather . [12] In 1986, he became president of CBS News as a whole. [12] He then served as president of CBS from 1988 to 1995, where he was responsible for all the broadcast activities of its entertainment, news, sports, radio and television stations. [6] During Stringer's tenure, CBS gained the services of David Letterman with his Late Show but also lost National Football League rights to the upstart Fox Broadcasting Company, leading several CBS affiliates to align with the latter. [13]

Tele-TV

Howard Stringer in 2008 Howard Stringer.jpg
Howard Stringer in 2008

Stringer left CBS in 1995 to become CEO of Tele-TV, a newly created media and technology company formed by US telecoms Bell Atlantic, NYNEX and Pacific Telesis, as well as Creative Artists Agency. Tele-TV represented an early attempt at a video on demand service, which streamed content over the phone network. The company was unsuccessful, and shut down most of its operations in early 1997, after having spent roughly $500 million. Stringer left at that time. [14] [15]

Sony

Stringer began work at Sony in May 1997 as president of its US operational unit (Sony Corporation of America). He was made a Sony group executive officer in May 1998. [14]

Since 22 June 2005, Stringer has served as Chairman of Sony, overseeing businesses such as Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Electronics, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Financial Holdings, succeeding Nobuyuki Idei. [16] On 1 April 2009, he became president of Sony Corporation and ousted Ryoji Chubachi in what was seen as prelude to broader corporate restructuring. [17] Stringer also served as executive chairman and chief executive officer of Sony Corporation of America, and as president of Sony Broadband Entertainment Corporation since March 2000. [6]

Stringer was promoted to the company's top position as the corporation overall was having trouble with losses and was facing increasing competition from rivals such as Samsung, Sharp, Apple Inc. and Panasonic. [16] With his experience primarily in the media industry, Stringer was responsible for the media business of Sony in the U.S. by overseeing the release of the Spider-Man film series, among others. [18]

As CEO, Stringer's initial focus was on streamlining Sony's electronics business, such as through its Bravia TV joint venture with Samsung. [19] Stringer was instrumental in arranging Sony's investment in Spotify, which earned Sony a profit of nearly $1 billion upon Sony's partial exit in 2018. [20] Nonetheless, Sony's share price fell by 60 per cent from when Stringer assumed the role of group chairman until his resignation as CEO was announced in 2012, due in part to exchange rates and the effects of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. [21]

On 1 February 2012, Sony announced that Stringer would step down as president and CEO, effective 1 April to be replaced by Kazuo Hirai, executive deputy president and chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment. [22] Stringer relinquished his title of chairman of Sony and became chairman of the board of Sony in June ('Chairman of Sony' and 'Chairman of the Board of Directors' are separate positions at Sony). In June 2013, Stringer retired as chairman of the board of Sony. [23]

While serving as the chief of Sony in Tokyo, Stringer maintained a home in New York while his family lived in England. [19]

In a 2014 speech, Stringer expressed his frustrations with his time at Sony, saying, "Running a big company is like running a cemetery: there are thousands of people beneath you, but no one is listening. It was a bit like that at Sony." He specifically lamented that Sony had a "not invented here" mentality that did not suit an increasingly digital world, and which Stringer was unable to shake off. [24]

Awards and honours

Stringer has received the following awards and honours: [6]

He has also been honoured by Lincoln Center, Big Brothers Big Sisters, The New York Hall of Science and The American Theatre Wing, and has received Honorary Doctorates from the University of Glamorgan in Wales and University of the Arts London.

Coat of arms of Howard Stringer
Motto
[25]

Personal life

In July 1978, Stringer married Jennifer A. Kinmond Patterson. [26] [7] They have two children.

He became a naturalised American citizen in 1985.

He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II on 31 December 1999.

Stringer was portrayed by Peter Jurasik in the 1996 HBO film The Late Shift , about the conflict between Jay Leno and David Letterman during Stringer's tenure at CBS in the early 1990s.

He appeared on the BBC radio programme Desert Island Discs in 2013. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Kutaragi</span> Japanese engineering technologist and businessman (born 1950)

Ken Kutaragi is a Japanese engineering technologist and businessman. He is the former chairman and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), the video game division of Sony Group Corporation, and current president and CEO of Cyber AI Entertainment. He is known as "The Father of the PlayStation", as he oversaw the development of the original console and its successors and spinoffs, including the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and the PlayStation 3. He departed Sony in 2007, a year after the PlayStation 3 was released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norio Ohga</span> Japanese businessman (1930–2011)

Norio Ohga, otherwise spelled Norio Oga, was the former president and chairman of Sony Corporation, credited with spurring the development of the compact disc as a commercially viable audio format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sony Interactive Entertainment</span> Sonys video game division

Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American multinational video game and digital entertainment company based in San Mateo, California, and a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. Jointly established by two subsidiaries in 2016, it primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game consoles and products. It is also the world's largest company in the video game industry based on its equity investments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sony Music</span> American multinational music recording company

Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is a Japanese multinational music company owned by Sony Entertainment and managed by the American umbrella division of multinational conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of the Sony Music Group, with the other half being the publishing division, Sony Music Publishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nobuyuki Idei</span> Japanese businessman (1937–2022)

Nobuyuki Idei was a Japanese businessman. He was chairman and group chief executive officer of Sony Corporation until 7 March 2005. He was a director of General Motors, Baidu, Yoshimoto Kogyo and Nestlé.

Kunitake Andō Chairman of BJIT Limited, became president of Sony Corporation in June 2000, having been an employee of the company since 1969. On March 7, 2005 it was announced that he would step down to become an adviser, with Ryōji Chūbachi succeeding him as president. Andō is from Aichi Prefecture and graduated from University of Tokyo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaz Hirai</span> Japanese businessman

Kazuo "Kaz" Hirai is a Japanese businessman. He is best known as the former chairman of Sony Corporation, serving from April 2018 to June 2019, as well as president and CEO from April 2012 to April 2018. He also served as a board member of Sony Computer Entertainment and chairman and co-CEO of Sony Entertainment. He was noted by Entertainment Weekly as one of the most powerful executives in the entertainment industry. He led the Sony Computer Entertainment division between 2007 and 2012, and then became president and CEO of Sony in April 2012. Through his tenure as CEO, Sony experienced a resurgence during the 2010s. In 2018, Hirai stepped down as president and CEO, becoming chairman of Sony Corporation. He fully retired from Sony in June 2019, and retired from his role as a senior adviser to the company in June 2024.

Tele-TV was a media and technology company formed by Bell Atlantic, NYNEX, Pacific Telesis, and Creative Artists Agency in February 1995. The company, based in Reston, Virginia, USA, set out to design a pioneering interactive TV service with a set-top box that would allow customers to view video on demand over copper phone wires. Thomson Consumer Electronics was to build the set-top boxes. Ex-CBS chief and former president of Sony Howard Stringer was hired as CEO, with ex-Fox executive Sandy Grushow as president. Michael Ovitz, then head of CAA, was to play a role as dealmaker between Hollywood and the company. The company spent US$500 million before halting operations in early 1997, although some subscribers had services through the end of 2001.

Nicole Seligman is an American attorney and corporate director.

Michael Mark Lynton is a businessman and current chairman of Snap Inc. He previously served as chairman and chief executive of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In 2017, Lynton stepped down as CEO of Sony Entertainment to become Chairman of Snap, makers of the Snapchat mobile app. On February 12, 2019, he was named as chairman of Warner Music Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Rothman</span> American film executive (born 1954)

Thomas Edgar Rothman is an American businessman, film producer, film executive and current chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group. In this role, Rothman oversees all of the studio's motion picture production and distribution activities worldwide, including Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Sony Pictures Animation, Sony Pictures Classics, 3000 Pictures, Sony Pictures International Productions, Stage 6 Films and AFFIRM Films. Rothman joined Sony Pictures in late 2013 as chairman of TriStar and in 2015 was promoted to Chairman of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, followed by the release in 2017 and 2018 of titles such as Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Venom, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, Peter Rabbit, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Under Rothman's leadership, the Motion Picture Group was returned to strong profitability and experienced several of its most profitable years in history with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Little Women. Driven by tentpoles such as Spider-Man: Far From Home, Jumanji: The Next Level, and Bad Boys for Life, fiscal year 2020 was the film studio's best in over a decade in terms of both ultimate profitability and operating income.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Morris</span> American record executive (born 1938)

Doug Morris is an American record executive. He served as chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Universal Music Group from 1995 to 2011, as well as Sony Music Entertainment from 2011 to 2017. He founded the record label 12Tone in 2018, where he's since served as CEO.

Andrew House is a Welsh businessman and the former chair of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE). He previously served as President and Global CEO of SIE. House started working for Sony Computer Corporation in 1990, working in the Tokyo-based corporate communications department. Five years later in 1995, he transferred to SCEI's marketing and communications to contribute to the launch of the PlayStation gaming system. March 1996, he was promoted to Vice President of Marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA), then promoted again in 2002 to Executive Vice President of SCEA. From 2005 to 2009, Andrew House was the chief marketing officer of the Sony Corporation. From 2009 until 2011, House was co-CEO and then CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), then became President and Group CEO of SCEI, replacing Kaz Hirai. In 2013, House led the conference which revealed the PlayStation 4. In 2017 House announced he would step down as head of Sony Interactive Entertainment at year end.

Robert Adrian Stringer is a British music industry executive. He has served as the chairman of Sony Music Group and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment since 2017. He is also a director of Luton Town F.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryōji Chūbachi</span> Japanese businessman

Ryōji Chūbachi is a Japanese businessman, former vice chairman and president of Sony Corporation. He joined the company in 1977, later replacing Kunitake Andō to become president of the firm March 7, 2005. He was replaced as president by Howard Stringer on April 1, 2009. Chūbachi retired from Sony on March 31, 2013. Currently he is the president of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), an independent administrative institution (agency) of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japhet Asher</span> English filmmaker (born 1961)

Simeon Japhet Asher is an English film and television producer, writer and director who has worked in the United States for most of his career. Having moved back to England, he was the executive producer for interactive at CBBC, the BBC's programming strand for children, and an executive producer of the live action comedy Big Babies broadcast by that network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert S. Wiesenthal</span> American businessman (born 1967)

Robert S. Wiesenthal is an American businessman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Emmy Directorate Award</span> Annual award

The International Emmy Directorate Award is presented by the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and honors individuals or organizations for their outstanding contribution to international television. The awards ceremony has taken place annually in New York City since 1973.

Joseph R. Ianniello is CEO and Chairman of Argus Capital Corp., a special purpose acquisition company. He has previously been the Chairman of CBS Entertainment Group unit of ViacomCBS from December 4, 2019 until March 23, 2020 and President and acting CEO of CBS Corporation in September 2018.

Denis Anthony Handlin AO is an Australian former entrepreneur and business executive who served as chairman and chief executive officer of Sony Music Entertainment Australia and New Zealand and president of Sony Music Entertainment Asia Inc, commencing employment in the company in 1970 until 5 June 2021, making him the longest-serving global Sony Music employee.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "BBC Radio 4 – Desert Island Discs, Sir Howard Stringer".
  2. ↑ Levens, R.G.C., ed. (1964). Merton College Register 1900–1964. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. p. 535.
  3. ↑ http://www.sony.com/SCA/bios/stringer.shtml, Sony
  4. ↑ Schindehette, Susan (5 April 1993). "Howard Stringer". People. Archived from the original on 10 January 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
  5. ↑ "Sony Music Label Group U.S. gets new chief as top 2 execs resign", USA Today , 1 June 2006
  6. 1 2 3 4 "BusinessWeek Executive Profile: Howard Stringer". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
  7. 1 2 "Howard Stringer Biography (1942–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
  8. ↑ Schindehette, Susan (5 April 1993). "Howard Stringer". People. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  9. ↑ Grifiths, Katherine. "Sir Howard Stringer, US Head Of Sony: Sony's knight buys Tinseltown dream." The Independent , 18 September 2004.
  10. ↑ "The Interview: Howard Stringer." The Independent, 21 March 2005.
  11. ↑ Michael Eisner (28 March 2006). "Sony CEO Howard Stringer transcript". MSNBC.
  12. 1 2 3 Biography for Howard Stringer – IMDb
  13. ↑ "Kicked While It's Down". Time. 6 March 1995.
  14. 1 2 Griffiths, Katherine. "Sir Howard Stringer, US Head Of Sony: Sony's knight buys Tinseltown dream." The Independent , 18 September 2004
  15. ↑ "Bells may shutter Tele-TV". CNNMoney. 6 December 1996.
  16. 1 2 Zaun, Todd (23 June 2005). "Sony's Chief Pledges to Halt Company Slide". New York Times. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  17. ↑ Suzuki, Hiroshi; Kondo, Masaki (27 February 2009). "Sony's CEO Stringer Ousts Chubachi in Overhaul of Management". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 27 February 2009.
  18. ↑ Siklos, Richard; Fackler, Martin (28 May 2006). "Howard Stringer, Sony's Road Warrior". New York Times. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  19. 1 2 Fackler, Martin (28 May 2006). "Howard Stringer, Sony's Road Warrior". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  20. ↑ "Sony reaps rewards of Stringer legacy with $983m profit on Spotify". Nikkei Asian Review. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  21. ↑ Orzeck, Kurt (6 January 2012). "Report: Kaz Hirai to Replace Howard Stringer as Sony President". Reuters. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  22. ↑ "Sony names Kazuo Hirai as President and CEO; Sir Howard Stringer to become Chairman of the Board of Directors". Sony Corporation. 1 February 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  23. ↑ "Sony chairman Sir Howard Stringer to retire". BBC News. 11 March 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  24. ↑ Handel, Jonathan (25 October 2014). "Ex-Sony CEO Howard Stringer on Sony's Failures and Time Inc.'s Big Challenges". The Hollywood Reporter.
  25. ↑ "Merton College Oxford, benefactors' arms, 2018". Baz Manning. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  26. ↑ Diamond, Edwin (22 August 1988). "Television's New Fall Lineup: the Changing Guard at the Big Three...". New York. 21 (33). New York Media, LLC: 110. ISSN   0028-7369.
Business positions
Preceded by Chairman of Sony Corporation
2005–2012		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of Sony Corporation
2009 – March 2012		Succeeded by
Preceded by CEO of Sony Corporation
2005 – March 2012		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chairman of the Board of Sony Corporation
27 June 2012 – 20 June 2013		Succeeded by
Preceded by
 CEO of Sony Corporation of America
1998 – June 2012		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.