Sony has announced a new smartphone leader--senior vice president Hiroki Totoki will step up as the company's new president of Sony Mobile Communications after Kunimasa Suzuki leaves the role next month.

Taking over when Suzuki moves to a different company role on Nov. 19, Totoki has been serving as corporate planning director, according to Reuters. Leading Sony's smartphone division will be uphill work since the company's phone business has been floundering in recent years.

Suzuki will stay within the company, becoming executive vice president of Sony Entertainment in the transition.

The Tokyo, Japan-headquartered company had planned to sell 50 million smartphones during its fiscal year ending on March 31; however, Sony had to cut that figure in July to 43 million units, CNET reported.

Sony announces sales figures on Friday, and it has been speculated that the company will slash sales forecasts again. Earlier this year, Sony said that it would rework its smartphone strategy to focus on "certain geographical areas, premium lineups and reducing the number of models in its mid-range lineup."

A source familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News that the annual target for smartphone sales may be cut for the second time this year. Last month, the company increased its forecast for losses due to a charge of 180 billion yen, or $1.7 billion, in the smartphone division.

The announcement didn't specify why Suzuki and Totoki were shuffling roles within the company, and Sony didn't respond to a CNET request for comment.

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