Idei Nobuyuki

Idei Nobuyuki (born Nov. 22, 1937, Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese business executive who served as chairman (2000–05) and CEO (1999–2005) of the Japanese electronics giant Sony Corporation.

Idei earned an undergraduate degree in political science and economics from Waseda University in Tokyo in 1960. His father, an economics professor at Waseda, had intended for Idei to follow in his footsteps. Upon graduation, however, Idei went to work in Sony’s international division, gaining experience in several of the company’s European offices. He helped establish Sony France in 1968. Four years later he was recalled to Japan to work at the company’s Tokyo headquarters.

A steady succession of promotions followed. Idei was named general manager of Sony’s audio division in 1979, senior general manager of the home video group in 1988, Sony Corp. director in 1989, and managing director of the company in 1994. He was tapped as president and representative director in April 1995. He assumed CEO duties in June 1999 and a year later added chairman to his title.

In 2003 Idei began to shift Sony’s emphasis from stand-alone electronics devices such as portable audio players and video cameras to the development of an array of interconnected devices and services. These new products included a home video recorder that could be programmed from a mobile phone, a hand-held audio device that could download music from the Internet, and a portable flat-screen gadget that combined the functions of a television and a personal computer. Idei also unveiled the prototype of a “personal entertainment robot” that used sophisticated microelectronics and sensors to walk, sing, and interact with humans.

Most observers praised Idei for devoting himself to the promotion of digital audio and video electronics and their convergence with information technology, but he was not without his share of critics. Some wondered not only whether Sony would be able to sell enough of its decidedly high-end new products to turn a profit after several down years but also whether Idei was spreading the company’s resources too thin. Idei remained confident that the company was on the right track, as Sony’s profits showed signs of a rebound in 2003. The upswing, however, was temporary. Sales ultimately continued to decline, and Idei left the company in 2005.

Following his departure from Sony, Idei established a management consultancy to assist the Japanese technology industry. He also sat on the board of directors of Accenture, a management consultancy that served the technology sector as well. From 2003 to 2007 Idei was the vice-chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren).