MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Marcelo Claure was announced today as Sprint’s President and Chief Executive Officer, effective Monday, August 11, 2014. Claure, who is currently the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Brightstar Corp., the world’s largest wireless distributor and a leader in services to the wireless industry, will be replacing Dan Hesse.
Claure is one of the world’s leading wireless executives having founded Brightstar Corp. approximately 17 years ago and growing it to be the number one specialized wireless distributor in the world. With a local presence in approximately 50 countries, Brightstar serves more than 50,000 customers including the world’s leading mobile OEMs, retailers, and wireless network operators.
Claure is a very active member of the global wireless and business communities, including serving as Vice Chairman of Barcelona’s Mobile World Capital Advisory Board and past member of the CTIA board of directors. In January of 2014, Claure was appointed to join the Sprint board of directors.
“Marcelo has proven to be a visionary and execution-driven leader capable of delivering growth and shareholder value,” stated Masayoshi Son, Chairman and CEO of SoftBank Corp. and Chairman, Sprint Corporation. “The Sprint board is inspired by Marcelo’s vision for the future of Sprint and strongly supports him.”
Named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, Claure is recognized as a “bold, brave, action-oriented and entrepreneurial individual committing both time and talent to make the world a better place.” Claure has also been named CEO of the Year and Entrepreneur of the Year by a number of organizations. In 2013, Forbes Magazine listed Brightstar as the 55th largest privately held company in the U.S.
In January 2014, SoftBank Corp. completed a majority investment in Brightstar. To generate further synergies, SoftBank will be acquiring Claure’s remaining interest in the Company.
“I very much look forward to moving to the Kansas City metropolitan area and taking on the challenge of driving one of America’s leading companies,” Claure said. “The opportunity to leverage Sprint’s history of success and innovation to create the leading wireless service provider in the U.S., all while delivering incremental value to our shareholders, is incredibly exciting.”
Claure will be resigning from Brightstar’s board of directors effective August 11, 2014, and Ronald (Ron) Fisher will become the Chairman of the Board of Brightstar Corp. Ron is a current member of Brightstar Corp’s board and is also the Managing Partner of SoftBank Capital and Director and President of SoftBank Holdings, Inc., Vice Chairman of Sprint Corporation, and also a member of the board of directors of SoftBank Corp.
Upon Claure’s departure from Brightstar, the company will launch a global search for a CEO. Arturo Osorio will be appointed President and Chief Operating Officer and in the interim, will report to the Brightstar board of directors. Osorio has been with Brightstar more than 10 years, most recently in the role of President, Global Operations.
“Marcelo has done a remarkable job of making Brightstar a global wireless leader in what it does and I wish him the best at Sprint,” said Osorio. “I look forward to leading Brightstar as we continue to grow and expand geographically while diversifying our service lines - so we are always delivering incremental value to our customers.”
About Brightstar
Brightstar is the world’s largest specialized wireless distributor and a leading provider of diversified services focused on enhancing the performance and results of the key participants in the wireless device value chain: manufacturers, operators and retailers. For more information, please visit Brightstar.com.
