Marcelo Claure speaks on stage during the Digital X event on September 7, 2021 in Cologne, Germany.
Andreas Rentz | Getty Images Entertainment | beautiful pictures
Japan Corporation SoftBank Corporation on Friday confirmed that CEO Marcelo Claure will leave the company after nine years in office.
CNBC reported on Thursday that Claure will step down from the company, citing people familiar with the matter. Sources told CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin and Alex Sherman that Claure discussed leaving SoftBank for several months.
Shares of SoftBank Group in Tokyo rose 3.28% in afternoon trading on the news.
Claure, considered by many to be the right-hand man of SoftBank boss Masayoshi Son, is also the CEO of SoftBank Group International. He led rotation operations at Sprint, where later merged with T-Mobile in 2020 and WeWork later founder Adam Neumann resigns.
He helped SoftBank’s $5 billion fund launch in 2019 invest in tech startups across Latin America as well as SB Opportunity Fund invest in underrepresented ethnic groups.
Michel Combes, chairman of SoftBank Group International, was named CEO on Friday to replace Claure. He will oversee the company’s operations and portfolio.
“Marcelo has made many contributions to SoftBank during his time here, and we thank him for his dedication and wish him continued success in his future endeavors,” said Masayoshi Son, SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO, said in a statement.
“I have great confidence in Michel Combes and the talented SoftBank team to continue the great work we’re doing at SBGI. [SoftBank Group International]. “
Claure is the latest of Son’s close advisers to abruptly leave the company. Nikesh Arora, who is supposed to eventually succeed Son, Departure 2016 while Alok Sama left in 2019.
