Sony Group Corporation and Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) have announced that Tony Vinciquerra, Chairman and CEO of SPE, will step down from his CEO role, effective January 2, 2025. Ravi Ahuja, currently SPE’s Chairman of Global Television Studios and President and COO, will take over as President and CEO of the company. Vinciquerra will continue in an advisory capacity as non-executive Chairman until the end of December 2025.
Vinciquerra, who joined SPE in June 2017, has led the company through significant transformation. Under his leadership, SPE has achieved five consecutive years of profit growth, driven by a stronger film slate, a reimagined television business, and strategic mergers and acquisitions, including the acquisition of anime company Crunchyroll in 2021. Vinciquerra also made the decision to divest most of SPE’s international cable networks and chose not to launch a general entertainment streaming service, keeping SPE profitable amid rapid industry changes.
In addition to managing key industry challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes of 2023, Vinciquerra leaves SPE in a strong competitive position.
Ravi Ahuja, who has been with SPE since 2019, has played a key role in the company’s growth, overseeing acquisitions of companies like Industrial Media, Bad Wolf, and Pixomondo. Before joining SPE, Ahuja held senior roles at Walt Disney Television and Fox Networks Group. He will report to Sony Group Corporation Chairman and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida, as well as Sony Group President, COO, and CFO Hiroki Totoki.
“When I stepped into this role seven and a half years ago, I would’ve never imagined the extraordinary industry disruption and opportunity we’d face,” said Vinciquerra. “I’m filled with immense gratitude for this exceptional company and its profound legacy in Hollywood history. I’m consistently inspired by my brilliant and resolute colleagues. Together, against the odds, we achieved remarkable success and have consistently proven that this is a community built on passion and resilience. Thank you for making these past seven and half years the most gratifying of my career. My sincere appreciation goes to Kazuo Hirai for offering me this opportunity in 2017, and to Kenichiro Yoshida and Hiroki Totoki for their leadership and unwavering trust and support over the years. I have the utmost confidence that SPE will continue to thrive in the years ahead and know that Ravi is the right leader to take SPE forward.”
Ravi Ahuja joined SPE in 2021 to oversee all production businesses for Sony Pictures Television (SPT) and the studio’s India business as Chairman of Global Television Studios. SPT and its production companies produce several award-winning and acclaimed television series including The Crown, The Boys, Gen V, Cobra Kai, Better Call Saul, The Last of Us, Outlander, For All Mankind, The Night Agent, Twisted Metal, The Wheel of Time, S.W.A.T., The Good Doctor, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, Shark Tank, American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, 90 Day Fiancé, Octonauts, SuperKitties, and many more.
“The extraordinary turnaround at SPE over the last 10 years would not have been possible without Tony’s deep experience and expertise in the entertainment space, his strategic vision and his outstanding leadership,” said Yoshida. “Under Tony’s watch, SPE became a critically important part of our efforts to maximize the value of our IP and find synergies across all our entertainment and technology businesses, and it remains a key driver in Sony Group’s ongoing corporate strategies to lean further into the creative and entertainment spaces. I want to thank Tony for his years of dedication and leadership at SPE, and for his invaluable support across the group companies during his successful career at Sony.”
Yoshida continued, “Since joining SPE in 2021, Ravi has been at the centre of Tony’s leadership team, navigating the unprecedented challenges of today’s media and entertainment environment and positioning SPE for further growth. Ravi brings with him years of experience from his time at some of the world’s most successful entertainment companies, and we look forward to working more closely with him in his new role as President and CEO of SPE.”
“It is my privilege and honour to take the helm at SPE,” said Ahuja. “This is a special place — an iconic studio with an extraordinary 100-year history of storytelling. Thanks to Tony’s remarkable leadership, we have leading businesses with clear strategies and are set up for even greater success in the years to come. I am energized by the opportunities ahead and am lucky to work alongside thousands of talented colleagues around the world at SPE and at our Sony sister companies. I am grateful for Tony’s mentorship, guidance and friendship through the decades, and I thank Yoshida-san and Totoki-san for entrusting me with this important role.”
Vinciquerra’s exit marks a significant leadership transition as Ahuja prepares to lead SPE into its next phase of growth.