Shawn Layden

Shawn Layden is the former president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE). He has had a career with the global technology giant, Sony, for over three decades and has been pivotal in the success of the Playstation console.

As the CEO of SIE, Layden was responsible for the worldwide success of Sony’s video games and was tasked with creating groundbreaking content across platforms that ultimately leads to the company’s growth. During his time in the role, Layden oversaw the release of a number of award-winning games including God of War, Spider-Man and Horizon: Zero Dawn. As the chairman of the first-party studio, Layden agreed on the deal to purchase Insomniac Games, to add to their impressive list of game developers, in order to expand their opportunities.

For over thirty years, Layden has bee involved with Sony, however, his success with the company began in 1981. During his degree at the University of Notre Dame, he spent a year abroad at Sophia University completing Japanese Studies. In 1987 Layden joined Sony as a communications assistant to Sony co-founder Akio Morita in Japan. As he progressed through the ranks Layden became an expert in Sony’s development in Europe, America and as of 2016 Worldwide. In late 2019 Lyaden left Sony Entertainment to become a partner at The Odysseus Group.

Over the course of his career, Shaw Layden has amassed experience across all aspects of Sony Entertainment and technological developments in gaming. In 2012 he was invited to speak about creating a cross-platform experience for users at the IP&TV Word Forum. He has also attended every Game Awards between 2014 and 2018 as the public face of SIE and PlayStation. The annual DICE Summit and Awards asked Layden to be their opening keynote speaker in 2019 due to his involvement in the entire gaming spectrum, from console development to in house studios.

Speaking to large audiences at high profile events comes naturally to Shawn Layden as he is a seasoned eSports speaker. Furthermore, he is known to cover a breadth of topics from console development to advancing a global brand and leading a rapidly expanding industry to success and is able to tailor his knowledge to each event.