SoftBank Group International (“SBGI”) today announced that Eduardo Vieira has been appointed Head of Communications for Latin America, effective Sept. 1, 2021. Mr. Vieira is based in São Paulo, Brazil, and will report to Mark Kornblau, Global Head of Communications for SoftBank Group, and Marcelo Claure, Corporate Officer, Executive Vice President & COO of SoftBank Group and Chief Executive Officer of SBGI, and Chief Executive Officer of SBLA Advisers Corp., Manager of the SoftBank Latin America Fund.
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In this role, Mr. Vieira will be responsible for directing the Company’s external and internal communications functions in the region, leading SBGI’s marketing, public relations, content, events, digital and corporate communications. He will also work with the SoftBank Latin America Fund’s 50+ portfolio companies to foster alignment and value creation across the SoftBank ecosystem.
“I am excited to welcome Eduardo Vieira as our new Head of Communications at SoftBank for Latin America,” said Mr. Claure. “Not only does Eduardo have a deep understanding of marketing and communications, he is also an entrepreneur at heart. He will be instrumental in helping SoftBank and our unique ecosystem in Latin America to better engage with all relevant stakeholders in the region.”
“I am thrilled to join SoftBank’s remarkable team and to be a guardian of its branding and reputation in Latin America,” Mr. Vieira said. “By helping structure strategic communications initiatives for companies that are part of SoftBank’s portfolio in the region, we will have the chance to help transform the lives of millions of people. I’m honored and especially energized by this enormous opportunity to create value for Latin America’s startup and innovation ecosystem. The horizon for entrepreneurs in the region has never been brighter.”
Mr. Vieira joins SBGI after a career of more than 23 years as a journalist, digital entrepreneur and corporate executive. Most recently, he was a Founding Partner of Ideal, the first digital PR agency in Latin America and a Partner at WPP Plc. in Ideal Group in Brazil, the holding company that oversees H+K Strategies and Ogilvy PR operations in the region, as well as serving as President and Co-CEO for Latin America and as a member of the Global Leadership Council at Hill+Knowlton Strategies, one of the world’s largest PR firms.
Previously, Mr. Vieira was an awarded journalist, covering technology, innovation, media and business segments for media outlets such as ÉPOCA, EXAME, INFO and Gazeta Mercantil.
Mr. Vieira serves in an advisory capacity for a number of organizations, including as a Member of the Board and Partner at Esfera Brasil, an Editorial Board member and Columnist at Fast Company in Brazil, and a Board Member for PRCA Latin America. He is the author of Os Bastidores da Internet, a national bestseller in Brazil. He received his B.D. in Journalism from University of São Paulo and has post-graduate certifications from Seoul National University (SNU), Harvard and Wharton Online.
“Eduardo is a talented communicator who has overseen the communications strategy for hundreds of clients in Latin America,” said Mr. Kornblau. “He understands the market and will prove invaluable to our team and our portfolio in the region.”
The appointment of Mr. Vieira further strengthens SoftBank’s Latin America leadership team. In July, Nicola Calicchio, former co-Chairman of the Global Client Council at McKinsey, was appointed Chief Strategy Officer of SBGI; and in March, Alex Szapiro, former Country Manager for Amazon Brazil, was appointed Operating Partner and Head of Brazil for SoftBank’s Latin America Fund.
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.
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