Norio Ohga Executive Director of Sony Corporation Date of Birth: 29.01.1930 Country: Japan

Biography of Norio Ohga

Norio Ohga was the executive director (and later president, chairman, and CEO) of Sony Corporation. He is credited with popularizing compact discs as a popular means of storing music. Ohga was born in Numazu, Shizuoka, and initially had aspirations of becoming an opera singer. However, a chance encounter changed his career path.

During a recording session, Ohga was dissatisfied with the sound quality of Sony Corporation's cassette recorders. He wrote a critical review to the company, which resulted in an invitation to join the company. After studying music in Berlin, Ohga rapidly climbed the corporate ladder of Sony.

In 1968, Ohga founded CBS/Sony Records Inc. (also known as Sony Music Entertainment), which became a prominent player in the music industry within a decade. In 1982, Ohga became the president of Sony, and seven years later, he assumed the role of CEO. In 1989, Ohga acquired two major companies, Columbia Pictures Entertainment and Guber-Peters Entertainment Company. In 1994, he inherited the position of chairman from one of the company's founders, Akio Morita.

Ohga appointed Nobuyuki Idei as the next president of the company in 1995, a decision that shocked 99% of the employees and led to a massive restructuring within the company. Idei served until 2005 when he was succeeded by Howard Stringer. In 1998, Idei shared the CEO position with Ohga and eventually took on the role himself a year later.

In 2000, Ohga stepped back from his executive responsibilities and assumed the position of chairman of the board, with Idei serving as the CEO. In 2003, on his 73rd birthday, Ohga retired from the board and became the honorary chairman. In his final years, he revisited his passion for music and became a conductor, leading numerous prestigious orchestras.

Ohga passed away in Tokyo. His contributions were recognized internationally, and he was honored with the Japanese Medal of Honor with Blue Ribbon, the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, and France's Legion of Honour.