Michael Lynton

Michael Lynton became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) in January 2004. As Chairman and CEO, Lynton manages SPE's overall global operations, which include motion picture, television and digital content production and distribution, worldwide television channel investments and the development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. He reports directly to Howard Stringer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sony Corporation of America and Vice Chairman, Sony Corporation.

Prior to joining SPE, Lynton had been President, Time Warner International; President, AOL International, and CEO, AOL Europe, since 2000, where he was responsible for the successful turn-around of AOL Europe, and for extending AOL's global leadership in Asia and Latin America. As President of AOL International he oversaw the world's largest online Internet service, which operated in 17 countries and eight languages. He managed a significant turn around in revenue, and substantial growth of the AOL subscriber base.

He joined Time Warner from the international media company Pearson plc, where he served as Chairman and CEO of Pearson's Penguin Group from 1996-2000. While there he led the turn around of Penguin's global publishing operations, oversaw the successful acquisition and integration of Putnam, Inc., and extended the Penguin brand to music and the Internet. Under his leadership the Penguin Group set records in bestsellers, revenues and profits.

From 1992-1996, Lynton served as President of Hollywood Pictures, a division of the Walt Disney Company. He joined Disney in 1987 and started and built Disney Publishing, serving as its President. He came to Disney from Credit Suisse First Boston, where he worked in mergers and acquisitions from 1982 to 1985 in New York, London and Melbourne.

Lynton is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School. He was raised in the Netherlands and is fluent in French, German and Dutch.