Tony Vinciquerra will step down as chief executive of Sony Pictures Entertainment effective as of Jan. 2.

Ravi Ahuja, the Culver City entertainment company’s president and chief operating officer, will assume the chief executive position on that date.

Sony Pictures Entertainment is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Group Corp.

Vinciquerra will remain in an advisory role for Sony Pictures as non-executive chair until the end of December 2025.

Ahuja will report to Sony Group Corp. Chair and Chief Executive Kenichiro Yoshida and Sony Group President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer Hiroki Totoki.

Yoshida said there has been a turnaround at Sony Pictures over the last 10 years that would not have been possible without Vinciquerra.

“Under Tony’s watch, (Sony Pictures) 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,” Yoshida said in a statement. “I want to thank Tony for his years of dedication and leadership at (Sony Pictures), and for his invaluable support across the group companies during his successful career at Sony.”

Since joining Sony Pictures in 2021, Ahuja has been at the center of Vinciquerra’s leadership team, navigating the unprecedented challenges of today’s media and entertainment environment and positioning Sony Pictures for further growth, Yoshida continued.

“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 Sony Pictures Entertainment,” Yoshida said.

Prior to joining Sony, Ahuja was president of business operations and chief financial officer of Walt Disney Television. Prior to that he was in positions of increasing authority, including chief financial officer, at the Fox Networks Group, and Virgin Entertainment Group Inc. 

“It is my privilege and honor to take the helm at Sony Pictures,” Ahuja said in a statement. “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.”

Ahuja said that he was “energized” by the opportunities ahead and was lucky to work alongside thousands of talented colleagues around the world at Sony Pictures and at its 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,”
Ahuja said.

During Vinciquerra’s seven years of heading Sony Pictures he led the company’s dramatic turnaround with five consecutive years of increasing profit by strengthening Sony’s film slate, reimagining its television businesses and with aggressive mergers and acquisitions in key growth areas, such as anime with the acquisition of Crunchyroll in 2021 for just less than $1.2 billion, Sony said in a release.

“Vinciquerra’s strategic decisions to divest most of Sony’s Picture’s international cable networks as that market began to deteriorate, and to not jump into the overcrowded streaming space with a general entertainment streaming service, has kept the company profitable during a time of unprecedented industry change,” the Sony release said.

“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,” Vinciquerra said in a statement. “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.”

He gave his sincere appreciation to (former Sony Group Chief Executive) Kazuo Hirai for offering him the opportunity in 2017, and to Yoshida and Totoki for their leadership and unwavering trust and support over the years.

“I have the utmost confidence that Sony Pictures will continue to thrive in the years ahead and know that Ravi is the right leader to take Sony Pictures Entertainment forward,” Vinciquerra said.