Sega confirm management changes

Sega confirm management changes

SEGA Amusements USA, Inc. (SAU) have confirmed that Paul Williams, the current Managing Director and COO of Sega Amusements Europe (SAE) will assume the position of President and COO of SAU. In his role, Williams will oversee the entire Western arm of the company.

"Under Paul's leadership, SAE has grown consistently over the past years, despite poor market conditions in the industry," said Tatsuyuki Miyazaki – Head of Sega Amusement Overseas Business Division. "We are excited that he now has the opportunity to bring his strong management skills to SEGA Amusements in the US, and we look forward to him guiding the larger company into targeted growth areas."

Williams' approach to leadership in the shifting market will focus on localising Sega Japan products for Western markets, developing games locally with local developers that are exclusively tailored for US and European market, and expanding strategically in targeted growth areas.

"Sega has long been a market leader in the development of innovative high end video games for the arcade and FEC market; however the operators are having a difficult time at the moment with declining cash box earnings. We need to react to this quickly and develop more cost effective product whilst still being at the very cutting edge of technology. We need to develop product that will give the operators a quicker return on investment and help then drive footfall into their locations. Additionally we need to develop a range of product that is suitable to the bar and street market. It seems to me that Sega is currently only developing product for the tip of the iceberg and we need to focus on the entire iceberg" commented Williams.

Drawing from over 25 years of industry experience – including 11 years at SAE –Williams' day-to-day responsibilities will include driving the strategic direction of SEGA Amusement's Machine Sales, Spare Parts & Board Repairs, Customer Service, and Merchandise Divisions in both the United States and Europe. He will be based in the company's Chicago headquarters. In his expanded role which is effective immediately, Williams will assume responsibilities previously held by industry-veteran Rick Rochetti, who served as President and COO of Sega Amusements USA for five years.