PlayStation - Lessons in leadership at the world’s favourite gaming brand
As well as being a new year, 2017 represents a significant milestone for WBS as it celebrates its 50th Anniversary. WBS has always been an innovative and forward thinking school and this is the ideal time to look at how we shape the next 50 years. Our Business Leader events are part of our anniversary programme. In this special guest lecture Jim Ryan, President of Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe and President of SIE’s global Sales and Marketing, and WBS graduate, talks about the origins of PlayStation, its evolution across global markets, and provides key insights into leading the development and growth of the world’s most popular gaming brand.
PlayStation has become one of the most distinctive and recognisable brands in the world. The PlayStation 2 reshaped the gaming industry, and remains the biggest selling gaming console in history with over 160 million units sold. The latest iteration, the PlayStation 4, sold 1 million consoles in its first 24 hours on sale, becoming the fastest selling console in history. PlayStation continues to outsell its rivals by 3:1 in Europe, and has already become a market leader in its latest endeavour PlayStation VR – a technology that has the potential to revolutionise the home entertainment market.
Jim joined Sony PlayStation in 1995 as International Financial Officer, and was responsible for setting up PlayStation’s network of companies in Europe. Over the course of the following twenty years he has held a number of senior positions within Sony PlayStation including Co-Chief Operating Officer with functional responsibility for Finance, IT, Human Resources, Operations & Logistics, Legal & Business Affairs and Third Party Relations and Online Delivery. In 2011, Jim was appointed President of the European business, and in 2016 became the Global Head of Sales and Marketing.
Prior to joining SCEE Jim held a number of senior financial positions with Oracle Corporation, Amstrad and the Ford Motor Company. Jim is a qualified accountant and holds an MBA from the WBS.