Nikesh Arora Will Take Over From SoftBank CEO As Chairman Of Yahoo Japan

Another sign that former Google head of business Nikesh Arora is poised to take over the top spot at SoftBank: he will replace current chief executive officer Masayoshi Son as chairman of Yahoo Japan’s board of directors.

SoftBank currently holds a 43 percent stake in Yahoo Japan. Son will remain on the board of directors, with Arora taking over as the chairman.

His ascendancy at SoftBank may mean the company will make more investments in the U.S. beyond its majority stake in Sprint, which it bought in 2013 but has yet to see pay offArora played a key role in SoftBank’s recent funding of event data analysis company Banjo, one of its largest in a U.S. startup so far.

Earlier this month, Arora, who joined the company in September 2014, was named SoftBank’s new president. Son said at a press conference that he doesn’t plan to “retire soon,” but sees Arora as likely successor.

In addition to operating one of Japan’s telecoms, SoftBank is also an international tech conglomerate with significant stakes in Sprint, Yahoo Japan, and Alibaba, as well as a roster of Asian startups, including Uber competitor Ola, Indian e-commerce giant Snapdeal, and Indonesian marketplace Tokopedia.