Neil Vander Dussen; Former President of Sony’s U.S. Subsidiary

Neil Vander Dussen, former president of Sony Corp. of America who guided efforts to make the company’s products more competitive, died June 9 of a brain aneurysm in Savannah, Ga. He was 69.

Vander Dussen oversaw efforts to expand the market for Sony goods by selling them through mass-market retailers. By the time he retired in 1992 after 11 years in the top echelons of the business, U.S. sales had grown from about $800 million to $5 billion annually.

Vander Dussen joined Sony in 1981 as president of its broadcast products division. He had spent the previous two decades as an executive at RCA Corp.

He rose rapidly through Sony ranks, becoming president of its consumer products company in 1983, and president of Sony’s U.S. marketing group in 1984.

In 1985 he became chief executive and president of Sony Corp. He was the fourth American to serve as president of the American subsidiary.

He served as vice chairman of Sony Corp. of America, Sony Engineering and Manufacturing of America and Sony Recording Media of America until his retirement in 1992.