Nobuyuki Idei, a member of Accenture's board of directors since February 2006, is chairman of the Advisory Board of Sony Corp. He has held this position since June 2005, when he stepped down as chairman and group CEO of the company. Prior to being appointed chairman and CEO in June 2000, Mr. Idei held a wide variety of leadership positions at Sony, including president and chief executive officer from 1999 to 2000 and president and representative director from 1995 to 1999. He has spent his entire professional career with Sony, joining the company after graduating from college in 1960.
Outside of Sony, Mr. Idei established his own management consultancy, Quantum Leaps Corp., in September 2006. It serves to nurture and develop technology-based venture companies, help corporate transformation and enhance Japanese competitiveness for the 21st century. Mr. Idei is a director of Baidu, Inc., Lenovo Group Ltd., and FreeBit Co., Ltd. Since June 2007, he has also served as chairman of the National Conference on Fostering Beautiful Forests in Japan.
Mr. Idei played a key role in moving Sony into the digital age and in developing and enhancing Sony's renowned design and brand image throughout his career. He oversaw the areas of corporate communications and advertising as a director and then managing director of Sony Corp. from 1989 to 1995.
With his strong background in international marketing, Mr. Idei contributed significantly to Sony's reputation as one of the worldwide leaders in the consumer audio-video industry as deputy senior general manager, Video Group (1986) and senior general manager, Home Video Group (1988). He was instrumental in Sony's involvement in the computer business and was a key figure in the establishment of Sony's compact disc market and the strengthening of Sony's consumer VCR business. Internationally he was active in the establishment of Sony's European market presence, particularly through the opening of Sony France in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Mr. Idei has served on the boards of Nestlé S.A., Electrolux and General Motors. He was counselor to the Bank of Japan from April 1999 to March 2007. From May 2003 to May 2007, he was vice chairman of Nippon Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), where he served as chairman of the Committee on Administrative Reform. He was a member of the IT Strategy Council, an advisory committee to Japan's Prime Minister, from July 2000 to February 2005 and served as the Council's chairman from July to November 2000.
Mr. Idei received a B.S. degree in economics and politics from Waseda University in Tokyo in 1960. He also attended L'Institute des Hautes Etudes Internationales in Geneva, Switzerland, and is fluent in English and French.