Sony Electronics CIO Plans To Reshape IT StructureSony Electronics CIO Plans To Reshape IT Structure

Sony Electronics Inc., the retail-products division of Japan's Sony Corp., last week named James Milde as its new CIO. Milde, who most recently spent two years as senior VP and CIO of the Pepsi Bottling Group, says his main challenge and motivation is aligning the $40 billion division's IT structure and strategy to accommodate the convergence of products, content, and service in the consumer electronics market.

"I wouldn't be here if I hadn't had a lot of conversations about how strategic [Sony executives] view this role," he says. Milde replaces Bill Gauld, who left Sony for another opportunity.

Milde, 41, will report to Fujio Nishida, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics, and will be responsible for the division's IT organization in supporting sales, marketing, and manufacturing. Before Pepsi, Milde spent nine years in the media industry, most recently as senior VP of operations and administration for Random House Inc., where he was responsible for IT, supply-chain logistics, and new media. That's why, Milde says, he found the CIO job appealing when Sony approached him.

Milde's short-term goal is to centralize Sony Electronics' IT structure, but he points out that doesn't necessarily mean layoffs. He also intends to integrate the IT infrastructure. "We need to get from a host of legacy systems down to a couple," he says. "We've made a couple of bets on Oracle and SAP for transactional systems." Milde's long-term goal is to support the "convergence of content through devices across mediums," the challenge posed by products such as high-definition television and mobile computing.