January 31, 2022: -Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group confirmed Friday that Chief Operating Officer Marcelo Claure is leaving the company after a nine-year tenure.

CNBC reported Thursday that Claure would resign from the company, citing people familiar with the matter. Sources told CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin and Alex Sherman that Claure had been discussing leaving SoftBank for several months.

On that news, SoftBank Group shares in Tokyo rose 3.28% in afternoon trade.

Claire, seen by many as the right-hand man to SoftBank boss Masayoshi Son, was also CEO of SoftBank Group International. He led turnaround operations at Sprint, which later merged with T-Mobile in 2020, and WeWork after founder Adam Neumann stepped down.

He helped launch SoftBank’s $5 billion funds in 2019 to invest in technology start-ups across Latin America and the SB Opportunity Fund that supports underrepresented racial minorities.

Michel Combes, president of SoftBank Group International, was named CEO on Friday to replace Claure. He will oversee the company’s operating and investment 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,” 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 with the great work we have underway at SBGI [SoftBank Group International].”

Claire is the latest among Son’s close advisors to depart the company abruptly. Nikesh Arora, primed to succeed Son eventually, passed in 2016 while Alok Sama left in 2019.