SoftBank Group Names Mark Kornblau Global Head of Communications

TOKYO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SoftBank Group Corp. (“SBG”) today announced that Mark Kornblau will join SBG as Global Head of Communications, effective August 16. Mr. Kornblau joins SBG from the NBCUniversal News Group, where he is currently Executive Vice President of Communications.

Mr. Kornblau will be based in SoftBank’s New York office and will report to Masayoshi Son, Representative Director, Corporate Officer, Chairman & CEO of SBG, and Marcelo Claure, Corporate Officer, Executive Vice President & COO of SBG and Chief Executive Officer of SoftBank Group International. In this role, Mr. Kornblau will be responsible for leading SBG’s corporate communications strategy, directing the Company’s external and internal global communications functions. He will also work with SBG’s nearly 300 portfolio companies to foster alignment and value creation across the SoftBank Group ecosystem.

“Mark is a highly regarded and talented communications leader who has been a trusted advisor to CEOs, presidential candidates, government leaders and journalists for more than two decades,” said Mr. Claure. “He will be a valuable partner to our leadership team and the entrepreneurs and companies we invest in.”

Mr. Kornblau said, “SoftBank is at the center of a transformative global moment. It is shaping the future by identifying truly innovative technologies and accelerating the growth of companies that are revolutionizing the way we live and work – for the better. I’m looking forward to supporting that mission.”

At the NBCUniversal News Group, Mr. Kornblau leads communications for the award-winning portfolio of television and digital news brands and positioned the business for success in a rapidly changing media landscape. In this role, Mr. Kornblau partners with business and editorial leaders at the flagship brands of NBC News, MSNBC, TODAY, Nightly News, Meet the Press and their streaming networks and digital platforms. He also led negotiations to secure the network’s 2020 presidential primary debates, which set viewership records.

Prior to his role at NBCUniversal News Group, Mr. Kornblau was Managing Director of Corporate Communications for JPMorgan Chase, where he worked with the executive leadership team on strategic and crisis communications and oversaw media relations in support of the firm’s government relations and corporate responsibility efforts.

Previously, Mr. Kornblau served in the Obama Administration as Communications Director and Spokesman for Ambassador Susan Rice at the United States Mission to the United Nations. He has held senior communications roles on two U.S. presidential campaigns, on Capitol Hill and on U.S. House and Senate campaigns.

Mr. Kornblau serves on the Board of Directors for the Careers in Culinary Arts Program, a workforce development non-profit. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

About SoftBank Group

The SoftBank Group invests in breakthrough technology to improve the quality of life for people around the world. The SoftBank Group is comprised of SoftBank Group Corp. (TOKYO: 9984), an investment holding company that includes stakes in telecommunications, internet services, AI, smart robotics, IoT and clean energy technology providers; the SoftBank Vision Funds, which are investing more than US$100 billion to help extraordinary entrepreneurs transform industries and shape new ones; the $US5 billion SoftBank Latin America Fund, the largest venture fund in that region, and the SB Opportunity Fund, a US$100 million fund dedicated to investing in enterprises founded by entrepreneurs of color in the U.S. To learn more, please visit https://global.softbank.

Contacts

Japan:

sbpr@softbank.co.jp
+81 3 6889 2300

United States:

Sard Verbinnen & Co

Benjamin Spicehandler / Hannah Dunning

SoftBank-SVC@sardverb.com