Akshay Naheta

As shares of Japanese telecom giant SoftBank Group sank into the doldrums amid the pandemic, CEO Masayoshi Son appointed Akshay Naheta a senior vice president, making him the youngest executive at the company with direct access to Son. The move placed Naheta in a key position, helping implement the company’s multibillion plan to win back shareholder confidence, a road map that included the sale of some $14 billion in Alibaba shares. The appointment was not out of left field: Naheta’s investing chops while at the SoftBank Vision Fund had previously drawn praise from the likes of Michael Milken. At the Vision Fund, Naheta championed a bet on semiconductor-chip maker Nvidia that resulted in $3 billion in gains. On the side, Naheta found time to serve on the board of Bakkt, a high-profile crypto venture created by Intercontinental Exchange.