Sony Network Entertainment president Tim Schaaff retires

Sony Network Entertainment International's president and Group Executive for Sony Corporation Tim Schaaff is retiring, according to a press release from Sony. He's set to leave on December 31, but will remain as an external director on the SNEI's board of directors. On the January 1, Group Executive for Sony Andrew House will take over his duties.

Sony Corporation's President and CEO Kazuo Hirai offered this statement. "Tim has been a strong leader within Sony who truly embodied the 'One Sony' spirit by successfully leading corporate-wide initiatives across business units since he joined. I thank Tim for his passion and innumerable contributions to the company."

Schaaff joined Sony Corporation in December of 2005, having previously worked at Apple for over 14 years in the realm of media, print, and digital imaging technologies, real-time communications, and AV platforms. He was also responsible for leading the development of Quicktime. The Sony Entertainment Network is a rebranding of the PlayStation Network.

What does Tim have to say off all this? "Under the leadership of Kaz, and Sir Howard Stringer before him, Sony gave me tremendous support to build a global team to coordinate and lead the company's network service business. Together we created something of significant value that will be an important part of Sony's future. I'm grateful to have had this unique opportunity, proud of the commitment my team has demonstrated, and encouraged about Sony's prospects in this strategic area."