Ahead Of PS5 Launch, Sony Hires Former Microsoft Executive

In the lead-up to the PlayStation 5‘s release this year, Sony has announced a new executive hiring for the company’s gaming division. The company has brought over Veronica Rogers from Microsoft as senior vice president, business operations for Sony Interactive Entertainment, which is the company that runs the PlayStation brand.

Rogers previously worked at Sony rival Microsoft for more than 13 years. Her most recent position at Microsoft was vice president sales and marketing, device partner sales, though it’s unclear if she worked with the Xbox team within Microsoft. Before Microsoft, Rogers was a category sales lead at computing giant Dell.

Rogers will report to Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan, who was appointed to that position in February 2019. Ryan recently appeared at CES 2020 to announced the PlayStation 5 logo.

In her new role, Rogers will “lead Sony Interactive Entertainment’s go-to-market organization globally.” A news release announcing the hiring also states that “Rogers will help drive business growth, lead strategic initiatives, and evolve the culture of SIE’s Business Operations from its previously regionalized structure into a single global system.” More specifically, Sony said Rogers will oversee the PlayStation brand’s sales operations business across physical and digital, while she will also take the lead on PlayStation subscription offerings.

In a statement, Ryan said Rogers “brings a wealth of experience leading global sales organizations, managing strategic partnerships, developing innovative business models, and building world class teams.

Ryan added that Rogers will play a “crucial role” in Sony’s ambitions to scale up the PlayStation business. The news release never mentions the PlayStation 5, but Rogers will undoubtedly play a significant role in the launch of the console later this year.

While the next-generation system has technically been announced, Sony has yet to share all the key launch info regarding specs, the title slate, and other key particulars. Jim Ryan recently said that the console’s most intriguing features have yet to be announced.

Rogers is not the only high-profile gaming executive to move between Microsoft and Sony. Phil Harrison spent numerous years at Sony before moving to Microsoft, before moving again to Google to work on Stadia.