Nintendo of America has just announced that it is promoting former executive VP of sales and marketing Reginald Fils-Aime to president and COO of the company. Current president Tatsumi Kimishima will move to a new position as chairman of the board and CEO, and senior vice president of business development Mike Fukuda is moving to a position as executive vice president of same.
Nintendo Co. president Satoru Iwata explained the changes thusly: "Around the world, Nintendo DS has been steadily drawing more people into the video game category. With the upcoming introduction of Wii, along with the strength of this new leadership team and strong executives already in place, Nintendo will continue to dramatically change the way consumers of all ages interact with their video game console on a daily basis."
The new NOA president was, prior to accepting a job with Nintendo, senior vice president of marketing at VH1 (joined in April 2001), part of the MTV networks, and previously was chief marketing officer for Derby Cycle Corp., and U.S. marketing chief for Guinness Import Co. On November 25, 2003, Nintendo of America named him executive vice president of sales and marketing for the company's operations in both North America and Latin America. The position would be effective December 1, 2003.
Mr. Kimishima joined Nintendo at the company's headquarters in Kyoto, Japan, in 2000. He was named chief financial officer of The Pokémon Company and president of Pokémon USA, Inc. in 2001. Prior to joining Nintendo, he was employed for 27 years by the Sanwa Bank of Japan, with various management positions in corporate planning, international business development, corporate communications and promotions. His career at Sanwa included postings in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Central America and the Caribbean. In his old role at NOA, he was responsible for all of Nintendo's operations in North America and Latin America.