Nintendo has made leadership changes in Europe as the president of Nintendo of Europe, (NoE) Stephan Bole, retires after spending 35 years with the company. The current Chief Financial Officer, Luciano Perena, who has served for three decades, will replace Bole, taking the roles of President, CEO, and management board Chairman.
This new announcement is part of a larger organizational restructuring process taking place within NoE, which looks to improve the strength of the company’s leadership and its operational efficiency in that area. Alongside Perena’s promotion, the company has appointed Laurent Fischer as the new Chief Operating Officer with Tom Enoki set to assume the role of Managing Director. These personnel changes follow the strategic objective of the Company to remain active in the European market and have a leadership team that can face the risks and the possibilities that lie ahead.
Nintendo restructures European leadership team
The restructuring process does not stop with the highest tiers of NoE. There have also been changes within the internal structures of the company’s Benelux operations.
Frank Rittinghaus, formerly General Manager, has been elevated to the position of Managing Director of Marketing within Europe. Filling Rittinghaus’s former position is Frédéric Michaux, whose move appears to reflect the company’s ambition for the region.
Furthermore, the company has also enhanced its marketing team with the appointment of Mirjam Jalan-de Jong as the new Head of Marketing and Gerben Kaup as Senior Brand Manager. These appointments are to strengthen the marketing efforts of the company in Europe in a competitive and dynamic market.
Nintendo rebrands ND Cube to strengthen Japanese subsidiary
Meanwhile, in Japan, the Nintendo subsidiary earlier called ND Cube is being rebranded and currently working under the name “Nintendo Cube.” This change indicates a greater presence of the company in the its corporate structure, after the purchase of 99% of this subsidiary. The rebranding is also evident in the new website address, which has changed from https://www.nd-cube.co.jp to https://www.nintendo-cube.co.jp.
Nintendo Cube was first formed as a joint enterprise with the Japanese advertising firm Dentsu and is well known for developing popular party games, including the Mario Party series. It went through a drastic reorganization in 2010, where it absorbed many important people from Hudson Soft, thus enhancing its credentials for making entertainment multiplayer games.
The Studio has been and remains useful to the game development processes at Nintendo and has participated in the development of titles like Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and Everybody 1-2 Switch.