TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SoftBank Group Corp. (“SoftBank”) today announced the appointment of Marcelo Claure as Chief Operating Officer of SoftBank Group Corp. and Chief Executive Officer of SoftBank Group International. Mr. Claure will also serve as Executive Chairman of Sprint, one of SoftBank’s largest portfolio companies, and continue to serve as a Director at both Sprint and SoftBank.
In his new management role at SoftBank, Mr. Claure will work closely with Masayoshi Son and Rajeev Misra in managing the operations of SoftBank’s increasingly global portfolio of companies. Mr. Claure will be responsible for ensuring that all group companies and investments are meeting the financial and operating objectives, as well as managing group synergies and transformations. In addition, he will be responsible for leading global government affairs. Mr. Claure will also be responsible for SoftBank’s ongoing investment in Sprint and the combined Sprint / T-Mobile company.
“Marcelo has been a close and trusted advisor for many years and, after watching him at Brightstar and Sprint, I can say he is an entrepreneur and operator unlike any other. His energy, integrity, global mindset and leadership skills will provide tremendous value to SoftBank,” said Masayoshi Son, Chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group Corp. “Marcelo has done a remarkable job in turning around Sprint, which in fiscal year 2017 delivered the best financials in the Company’s history, and has positioned the Company as the true leader in the race to 5G, and he has fulfilled my original vision of combining Sprint with T-Mobile to create a company that will drive American leadership in mobile communications. I am very happy Marcelo will be joining our team here at SoftBank.”
“After having the pleasure of working with Masa and the SoftBank team in my role at Sprint and as a Board member at SoftBank, I am thrilled to now have the opportunity to expand our relationship as a member of SoftBank’s executive leadership team,” said Marcelo Claure. “I look forward to continuing to work with the Sprint Board and management team on our turnaround and planned integration with T-Mobile. Both SoftBank and Sprint are fully committed to delivering American consumers the world’s best and fastest 5G network and together with T-Mobile we intend to fulfill that vision.”
Sprint, one of SoftBank’s largest portfolio companies, also today announced that Mr. Claure will become Executive Chairman, which is expected to occur on or before May 31, 2018. In his new role at Sprint, Mr. Claure will work closely with Michel Combes, who will take over as CEO, to guide Sprint’s strategy and its planned combination with T-Mobile until the closing of the proposed merger. During this time, Mr. Claure will split his time between SoftBank and Sprint. Following the close of Sprint’s merger with T-Mobile, both Mr. Claure and Masayoshi Son will remain on the Board of Directors of the newly formed company.
Marcelo Claure is currently CEO of Sprint, a member of the Board of Directors of SoftBank Group Corp, a member of the Board of Directors of Arm, and Chairman of CTIA – The Wireless Association. Since joining Sprint in August 2014, Mr. Claure has led the Company’s significant turnaround, including rejuvenating the company culture and brand and positioning the company as a leader in the race to 5G. Sprint has dramatically improved its products and services and is increasingly garnering top awards from third-party experts – including Nielsen, Ookla and RootMetrics – for network reliability, speed, text and call quality. Sprint has also reversed course from losing nearly 8,000 customers a day in 2014 to adding nearly 14,000 a day in the first fiscal quarter of 2017. Simultaneously, the company has increased revenue, eliminated billions of dollars in costs, delivered the largest operating income of the last 10 years and once again generated free cash flow. Prior to Sprint, Mr. Claure started his first business – a small retailer of wireless phones – in 1994 and, in 1997, founded Brightstar, which he transformed from a small, Miami-based wireless distributor into the world’s largest global wireless distribution and services company with revenues exceeding $10 billion and a presence in more than 50 countries. In 2014, Mr. Claure partnered with David Beckham and Simon Fuller to launch Miami Beckham United, a venture to establish a Major League Soccer franchise in Miami. He also currently owns BAISA, which operates Club Bolivar, Bolivia’s most popular and successful soccer team in national and international competition. Mr. Claure is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum and a member of Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Hall of Fame. In 2016, he was among 42 individuals selected by the Carnegie Corporation of New York as part of the “Great Immigrants: The Pride of America” initiative recognizing notable contributions to the progress of our society. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Finance in 1993 and an honorary Doctorate of Commercial Science from Bentley University in Massachusetts.
About the SoftBank Group
The SoftBank Group is a global technology player that aspires to drive the Information Revolution. The SoftBank Group is comprised of the holding company SoftBank Group Corp. (TOKYO:9984) and its global portfolio of companies, which includes advanced telecommunications, internet services, AI, smart robotics, IoT and clean energy technology providers. In September 2016, Arm Holdings plc, the world's leading semiconductor IP company, joined the SoftBank Group. In May 2017, the SoftBank Vision Fund, which invests globally in the businesses and technologies that will enable the next stage of the Information Revolution, had its first major close with over USD 93 billion in committed capital. To learn more, please visit www.softbank.com.