Appointment of Board Directors and Audit ＆ Supervisory Board Members
SoftBank Group Corp. (“SBG”) announces that it has nominated candidates for the position of Board Directors and Audit & Supervisory Board Members as indicated below today. The elections are subject to the approval of the 41st Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (the “AGM”) to be held on June 23, 2021.
1. Appointment of the members of the Board of Directors
The terms of office of the current nine Board Directors will expire at the conclusion of the AGM. SBG will propose the reelection of six out of the nine current Board Directors and the election of Mr. Kentaro Kawabe, Ms. Keiko Erikawa and Mr. Ken Siegel as new Board Directors, to the AGM.
(1) Newly elected candidates for the member of the Board (to be elected on June 23, 2021)
| Name | Current Primary Title |
|---|---|
| Kentaro Kawabe | President and Representative Director, Co-CEO, Z Holdings Corporation |
| Keiko Erikawa | Chairman and Representative Director, KOEI TECMO HOLDINGS CO., LTD |
| Kenneth A. Siegel | Managing Partner of Tokyo office, Morrison & Foerster LLP |
Ms. Keiko Erikawa and Mr. Kenneth A. Siegel are intending External Board Directors.
(2) Directors to resign from the Board (to resign on June 23, 2021)
| Name | Current Primary Title |
|---|---|
| Ronald D. Fisher | Board Director, Corporate Officer, Vice Chairman, SBG |
| Simon Segars | Board Director, SBG |
| Yuko Kawamoto | Board Director, SBG |
2. Appointment of Audit & Supervisory Board Members
The terms of office of the three out of four current Audit & Supervisory Board Members will expire at the conclusion of the AGM. SBG will propose the reelection of one out of the three current Audit & Supervisory Board Members and the election of Mr. Yuji Nakata and Mr. Keiichi Otsuka as new Audit & Supervisory Board Members, to the AGM.
(1) Newly elected candidates for Audit & Supervisory Board Members (to be elected on June 23, 2021)
| Name | Current Primary Title |
|---|---|
| Yuji Nakata | Former Senior Adviser, Risk Management, Escritoire, Nomura Securities Co. Ltd. Former Senior Adviser, Nomura Institute of Capital Markets Research |
| Keiichi Otsuka | Representative, Otsuka Certified Public Accountant Office |
Mr. Yuji Nakata and Mr. Keiichi Otsuka are intending External Audit & Supervisory Board Members.
(2) Audit & Supervisory Board Members to resign (to resign on June 23, 2021)
| Name | Current Primary Title |
|---|---|
| Masato Suzaki | Full-time Audit & Supervisory Board Member, SBG |
| Hidekazu Kubokawa | Audit & Supervisory Board Members, SBG |
3. List of officers after the change
(Board Directors and Audit & Supervisory Board Members)
| Representative Director | Masayoshi Son |
|---|---|
| Board Directors | Yoshimitsu Goto Ken Miyauchi Kentaro Kawabe Masami Iijima Yutaka Matsuo Lip-Bu Tan Keiko Erikawa Kenneth A. Siegel |
| Full-time Audit & Supervisory Board Members | Maurice Atsushi Toyama Yuji Nakata |
| Audit & Supervisory Board Members | Soichiro Uno Keiichi Otsuka |
Board Directors Mr. Masami Iijima, Dr. Yutaka Matsuo, Mr. Lip-Bu Tan, Ms. Keiko Erikawa and Mr. Kenneth A. Siegel are External Board Directors. Audit & Supervisory Board Members Mr. Maurice Atsushi Toyama, Mr. Yuji Nakata, Mr. Soichiro Uno and Mr. Keiichi Otsuka are External Audit & Supervisory Board Members.
(Corporate Officers)
| Corporate Officer, Chairman & CEO | Masayoshi Son |
|---|---|
| Corporate Officer, Executive Vice President | Marcelo Claure Rajeev Misra |
| Corporate Officer, Senior Vice President | Yoshimitsu Goto |
| Corporate Officer, Senior Vice President | Kazuko Kimiwada |
| Corporate Officer | Tim Mackey |
As part of its continued efforts to strengthen corporate governance, SBG formed a Nominating & Compensation Committee, made certain changes to its Board of Directors and appointed new Corporate Officers last year. Subsequent to the changes made this time, the Board of Directors will be comprised of a majority of External Board Directors, enabling SBG to further strengthen its corporate governance.
“I am deeply grateful to both Ron and Simon for their contributions and tireless efforts to date,” said Masayoshi Son, Representative Director, Corporate Officer, Chairman & CEO of SBG, on the resignation of Ronald D. Fisher and Simon Segars as Board Directors.
“Ron has been a trusted partner for 25 years, and we have been working together on international investments and their management. Throughout the SoftBank Group's journey in leading the way in each era of PC, Internet, broadband, mobile, and AI, Ron has always been the source of wisdom for me, and together we have been striving to accelerate the Information Revolution. Although he will be stepping down from the Board of Directors, he will remain within the SoftBank Group and continue to support our growth.
Simon and I have also been working together to realize the shared vision we had for the arrival of the IoT and AI era when we acquired Arm in 2016. Without Simon's leadership over so many years, Arm would not have evolved as significantly as it has.
Contributions by both of them to the growth of the SoftBank Group are immeasurable. We believe that technology should continue to advance for the benefit of humankind, and even after their resignation as Board Directors in June, I look forward to further contributing to the future of humanity together as like-minded companions.”
Ms. Yuko Kawamoto, External Board Director, will be stepping down upon assuming the position of Commissioner, National Personnel Authority. A message from Ms. Kawamoto on her departure is posted on SBG's website at the link below.
“Message from Ms. Yuko Kawamoto, External Board Director of SBG, on her resignation from the Board”
Masayoshi Son said,
“Kawamoto-san’s extensive knowledge and experience in finance and corporate governance have allowed her to raise critical questions and give honest suggestions many times. She has left us with a wealth of valuable insights for the SoftBank Group’s further growth. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for her outstanding efforts.”
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