Sony Europe president Chris Deering is retiring from the company to pursue personal opportunities closer to his family in the US, according to the company's official Web site. Starting in November, Deering will be replaced by Fujio Nishida, Sony's current executive vice president in charge of electronics marketing in Tokyo.

　　Sony chairman and CEO Howard Stringer had high praise for both his outgoing and incoming Sony Europe presidents. "He has earned our respect, our admiration, and our gratitude, and we wish him continued success as he moves on in his career," Stringer said of Deering. He was no less complimentary of Nishida, saying, "Fujio Nishida will bring a wealth of global marketing experience and knowledge of the consumer electronics business to his new role. We know that he will build on the solid foundation already put in place by Chris, and continue to evolve and expand the profile of Sony Electronics across Europe."

　　Deering originally took over as president of Sony Europe in April 2004. He previously worked for the company as the founding president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, and as a senior executive at Sony Pictures. Though his successor is coming from Tokyo, he has spent most of his time working for Sony outside of Japan, with stints in Canada, Australia, and the US, where he was president and COO of Sony Electronics for three years.