By Martin Vedris
SYDNEY: Sony Australia has rejuvenated its consumer marketing division with a series of senior appointments, including three marketing managers and a new product manager for TV.
In a statement released today, Sony Australia announced that Katsuya Watanabe joined Sony Australia on 1 June as marketing manager for Digital Imaging. He previously worked in Japan in the Alpha digital SLR marketing division. His new role will encompass all of Sony’s digital imaging brands and accessories, including Cyber-shot, Handycam and Alpha.
Watanabe replaces Yasunari Nishioka, who will be moving to a role with Sony Ericsson in Sweden. Nishioka has been with Sony Australia since October 2004.
Kentaro Tanigaki will join Sony Australia as marketing manager for the VAIO and Personal Audio group, encompassing notebooks as well as Walkman, headphones, traditional personal audio and accessories. He has been working within the VAIO business for 10 years and recently spent three years in Sony India where he successfully developed the VAIO brand.
Also moving into a marketing manager role is Graham Keogh, who will head up Sony Australia’s Recording Media & Energy (RME) division. Keogh has been promoted to this position from his previous role as senior product manager, Visual Displays.
The three appointees will report to Koichi Suzuki, general manager, Consumer AV-IT Marketing.
“It is important to us to put a team in place that will strengthen our market position, while also delivering the best possible products, technologies and profitability to our partners,” Suzuki said.
“I have full confidence in the combination of expertise and passion that all three of these appointments will bring to the Sony Australia team.”
Replacing Keogh within Sony’s visual products group is Jan Ergen, who has been appointed CTV product manager. Ergen has worked in product management roles at Panasonic across a number of home entertainment categories, including DVD and, more recently, TV. He is due to start at Sony Australia on 7 July.