Nintendo today announced that Tatsumi Kimishima will take over as president, following the death of former president Satoru Iwata (pictured).
On Wednesday, Kimishima will turn his four titles—managing director, general manager of corporate analysis and administration, division and general manager of the general affairs division, and head of human resources—into two: president and representative director.
The Tokyo-born executive, who has a law degree from Japan's Hitotsubashi University, served as chief of The Pokémon Company from late 2000 to early 2002, when he was appointed director of Nintendo America. Kimishima, 65, has since served the gaming giant in various high-level capacities over the last 13 years.
"We aim to strengthen and enhance the management structure of the company following President Satoru Iwata's passing on July 11, 2015," Nintendo said in an announcement.
Iwata died at age 55, due to a bile duct growth. In June 2014, he had surgery to remove a tumor in his bile duct, and was back at work four months later. Working with Nintendo first as a programmer, Iwata was with the company since the 1980s; he was named director in 2000 and president in 2002, when Hiroshi Yamauchi stepped down. Yamauchi passed away in 2013 at the age of 85.
Kimishima's appointment, meanwhile, also brings news of a "large-scale revision of the organizational structure" of the company, starting this week.
Five more directors will assume additional roles, two of which are the newly established title of fellow. Genyo Takeda and Shigeru Miyamoto will serve as Nintendo's first technology and creative fellows, respectively.
Shigeyuki Takahashi, Satoshi Yamato, and Shinya Takahashi have also been promoted to positions in the finance, marketing, and entertainment departments.