SEGA APPOINTS MASANO MAEDA COO OF SEGA OF AMERICA
SAN FRANCISCO (October 7, 2009) – SEGA® of America, Inc. announced today that it has named Masanao Maeda as COO for SEGA of America. Mr. Maeda has been with SEGA of Japan since 1991 most recently acting as Corporate Director for SEGA’s Consumer Business Division and then Executive Advisor in the Tokyo, Japan headquarters. Under his leadership, SEGA was able to expand deeper into the Western market and invest in Western developers like Creative Assembly, as well as pursue bold new partnerships that video game fans had never imagined possible before.
Mr. Maeda will join the SEGA of America team under Mike Hayes who was recently promoted to the position of CEO of SEGA of America and SEGA® Europe Limited. In this role, Mr. Maeda will oversee all of the day-to-day business for SEGA of America including Sales, Marketing, and PD for the US, Canada and Latin America.
“Maeda carries a wealth of knowledge about SEGA and the SEGA properties with him thanks to his many years with SEGA of Japan in Tokyo,” said Mike Hayes, CEO of SEGA of America and SEGA Europe Ltd. “His accomplishments in Tokyo are a testament to the quality of leader we anticipate him being here as he helps to take SEGA of America to new heights in the video game market.”
“I am looking forward to working at SEGA of America and getting to work more closely with the team there,” said Maeda, COO of SEGA of America. “Though I have worked with SEGA of America a great deal over the past 18 years, I look forward to the opportunity to be more closely involved with the development process for the Western markets.”
Naoya Tsurumi, who was previously the CEO of SEGA of America and SEGA of Europe has now moved to Japan to become the Managing Director, Consumer Business Division. From there he will oversee all video game development for the world, working closely with Mike Hayes and other international heads of business to ensure SEGA puts out only the best IP and continues to build on epic characters like Sonic the Hedgehog. Mr. Tsurumi’s contribution to building SEGA of America and SEGA of Europe and taking both divisions in new development directions has been a major factor in the success SEGA sees today.
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