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19-year Sony Hawaii
president resigning

Ryozo Sakai, Sony Hawaii Co.'s longest-running president, announced yesterday he will resign from the post he has held for 19 years.


art
FILE PHOTO
Ryozo Sakai: He grew Sony Hawaii sales from $20 milion to more than $220 million


Effective Nov. 1, Sakai will take on the position of Sony Hawaii senior executive adviser and will be a member of the company's management committee.

The new job will allow Sakai to concentrate his efforts on Sony Hawaii's community relations and special projects, which include the Sony Open, he said in a letter to business partners.

The move also will set in motion several management changes at the company. Don Kim, a Sony veteran of 32 years who serves as senior vice president for Sony Hawaii, will become president. Akihiko Kaji, deputy president of Sony Korea, will succeed Kim as Sony Hawaii's deputy president and senior vice president.

Sakai, who arrived in Hawaii in 1985, grew Sony Hawaii from sales of about $20 million to more than $220 million in 2003.

The company, established in 1968, serves customers who are based in Hawaii, Guam, Saipan, Palau and other Pacific areas. It also is the base for Sony Corp.'s sales to U.S. military base exchanges around the world.

"I am especially grateful to our local customers in Hawaii who have supported Sony throughout the years, and it has been my sincere privilege to serve you," Sakai said in the letter.

Sony Hawaii, which employs 78 people, has sponsored organizations such as the Kuakini Foundation, Aloha United Way, the Honolulu Symphony and the Sony Open.

"Sony Hawaii remains committed to serving the local community and I ask that you please continue to support Sony Hawaii as we continue our business under new leadership," Sakai said.

Sakai will continue his role in the Sony Open as well as the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau and other community organizations, he said.

Members of the community who have worked with Sakai said they are glad that he will continue volunteering in Hawaii.

"It's exciting that he will continue to help the community," said Keiko Bonk, executive director at the Japanese Cultural Center. "Mr. Sakai has been here a long time and he's become an integral part of the local community."

The center recognized Sakai last month with a lifetime achievement award.

Unlike many foreign investors, who keep their base in their home countries, Sakai early on decided to make Hawaii his home, Bonk said.

"He definitely has a local presence," Bonk said, adding that Sakai is known for his generosity to culture and education as well as for his sense of humor.

Sakai was instrumental in getting Sony to sponsor the Sony Open golf tournaments at the Waialae Country Club after United Airlines stopped sponsoring the event, said Ray Stosik, executive director for the Sony Open.

"The Sony Open is thankful that Mr. Sakai will still be a part of the event even through his role in the company is changing," Stosik said, adding that Sony is expected to extend its sponsorship to 2010.

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