The new role for Makoto Kogure, who was president of Sony's TV division, came as the company deals with the fall-out of two recent recalls of laptop computer batteries, which included lithium-ion cells that the company produced.

The first, on August 15, saw Dell recall up to 4,1m laptop batteries because of a potential fire hazard. Then, on August 24, Apple Computer said it was recalling 1.8m batteries for the same reason. Sony has estimated the recalls will cost it between ¥20bn and ¥30bn ($171m to $256m).

The battery problem is not the sole reason for Kogure's appointment, the Tokyo company says.

"Obviously the batteries are an issue, but it is not intended that he will focus on batteries and batteries alone," says Gerald Cavanagh, a spokesman for Sony in Tokyo. "It is something we have been wanting to upgrade for some time, and batteries will be one of the responsibilities."