Hesse, whose full title at Sony is president of global digital business, US sales and corporate strategy, will join Bertelsmann on February 1 2012, where he will sit on its executive board.

Hesse will be tasked with building new business opportunities and facilitating the "digital transformation" of the core Bertelsmann business.

He will also be responsible for Bertelsmann's stake in BMG Rights, a joint venture with private equity firm KKR.

The move will bring Hesse back into the Bertelsmann fold: ...