Merged into Whole Earth Brands, ticker now FREE
ACTT

Completed

Whole Earth Brands

FREE
First $9.70
Merger $8.15
16%
Merger +6mo $10.90
12%
Merger +1yr $14.35
48%
Recent $3.43
65%

Act II Global Acquisition Corp.

Raised
$250M
CIK
1753706
SPAC Ticker
ACTT
Merger
Whole Earth Brands
Merged Ticker
FREE
External link: SEC Filings

SPAC Team

Leadership

Irwin D. Simon has served as our Executive Chairman since December 2018 and has more than 30 years of business experience in many domestic and international leadership and operating roles. Mr. Simon founded The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAIN) in 1993, which went on to become a leading organic and natural products company with a mission to be the leading marketer, manufacturer and seller of organic and natural, better-for-you products, committed to growing sustainably while continuing to implement environmentally sound business practices and manufacturing processes. As Founder, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, he led Hain Celestial for more than 25 years and grew the business to $3 billion in net sales with operations in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East until November 2018, and as a Director until December 2018. Prior to Hain Celestial, Mr. Simon was employed in various marketing and sales positions at Slim-Fast Foods Company, a dietary supplement foods company, and The Häagen-Dazs Company, a frozen dessert company, which became a division of Grand Metropolitan, a multi-national luxury brands company, where his responsibilities included managing the franchisee system and company-owned retail stores. In the last five years he has served as Chairman of the Board of Aphria Inc., (NYSE: APHA) a global cannabis company (where in February 2019 he was appointed interim Chief Executive Officer, to serve in such capacity until Aphria’s Board of Directors identifies a permanent replacement), Presiding Director at MDC Partners Inc., a provider of marketing, activation and communications solutions and services, a Director of Barnes & Noble, Inc., (NYSE:BKS) a large retail bookseller and a Director of Chop’t Creative Salad Company, a fast-casual dining company. Previously, he served as a Director of Jarden Corporation, a consumer products company, until its merger with Newell Rubbermaid Inc. Mr. Simon is well qualified to serve on our Board due to his extensive industry, operational and public company experience.

John Carroll has served as our Chief Executive Officer and a Director since December 2018 and has more than 30 years of business experience with consumer products businesses. He spent the last 14 years in various positions of increasing responsibility at Hain Celestial until July 2018, having joined as Executive Vice President and President of Grocery, which generated over $400 million in net sales in 2004. With each successive year at Hain Celestial, he gained additional responsibilities including the Snacks business in 2005, the Personal Care business in 2006, Celestial Seasonings in 2008, and The Greek Gods brand in 2010, followed by Hain Celestial Canada in 2015, culminating in his service as Executive Vice President Global Brands, Categories and New Business Ventures from 2017 through July 2018. Under his leadership Hain Celestial United States grew to over $1.3 billion in net sales through profitable organic growth and strategic bolt-on acquisitions. Prior to this he was Managing Director, Heinz Frozen Foods at the H. J. Heinz Company, a global food company, where he served in various positions of increasing responsibility, starting with marketing and ultimately assuming the responsibility of Managing Director of Heinz Frozen Foods, from 1995 until 2003. He also worked in marketing positions at The Hershey Company and Church and Dwight Co., Inc., where he earned two Effie Awards for the launch of Arm & Hammer toothpaste and was recognized by Ad Age in the Marketing 100 for 1992. Mr. Carroll is well qualified to serve on our Board due to his extensive industry, operational and public company experience.

Ira J. Lamel, CPA, has served as our Chief Financial Officer since December 2018 and has over 40 years of experience in finance and accounting. He currently serves as a Director of Novanta Inc., (NASDAQ:NOVT) a leading global supplier of core technology solutions for medical and advanced industrial original equipment manufacturers. Mr. Lamel was Senior Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer of Hain Celestial from 2013 to 2014 and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Hain Celestial from 2001 to 2013. Previously, Mr. Lamel was an audit partner in the New York area practice of Ernst & Young LLP. He retired from Ernst & Young LLP after a 29-year career. Mr. Lamel brings to us extensive financial, accounting and auditing expertise, including an understanding of accounting principles, internal controls, financial reporting rules and regulations and financial reporting processes as well as due diligence and accounting for acquisitions acquired over the course of his career.

Mary Celeste Anthes has served as our Senior Vice President Business Development and Investor Relations since December 2018 and has more than 30 years of experience in the consumer and financial sectors. She spent the last 14 years at Hain Celestial, most recently as Senior Vice President, Corporate Relations since 2011 with responsibility for Corporate Communications and Investor Relations. She began her career at Hain Celestial in 2004 as Vice President, Investor Relations. She also administered its worldwide Human Resources from 2005 to 2006 and 2009 through 2011. Prior to joining Hain Celestial, Ms. Anthes worked in the financial sector in investment banking and asset management where she was Managing Director at Morgan Schiff & Co., Inc., from 2000 to 2004, Administrative Partner at Maxima Group, LLC from 1997 to 2000, and Crystal Asset Management Group, Ltd. From 1990 to 2000 and Senior Vice President of Drexel Burnham Lambert from 1980 to 1990. Ms. Anthes is an experienced corporate communications leader with strong communications, organizational and strategic skills.

Ashish Gupta has served as our Vice President, Business Development and Strategic Planning since March 2019. He has more than 10 years of experience in strategy, M&A, operations and restructuring. In 2018, he served as an advisor to Matlin & Partners Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: MPAC), a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, that consummated a business combination with U.S. Well Services, Inc. a Houston-based provider of hydraulic fracturing services and electric-powered fracturing technology in 2018. Prior to this, from 2012 to 2017, he served as Vice President at Quinpario Partners, an industrials-focused fund, where he worked on two SPAC business combinations: Quinpario Acquisition Corp.’s (Nasdaq: QPAC) 2014 business combination with Jason Incorporated, an industrial manufacturing company with four business segments: seating, finishing, acoustics and components and Quinpario Acquisition Corp. 2’s (Nasdaq: QPAC) 2017 business combination with SourceHOV LLC, a global transaction processing services and enterprise information management provider and Novitex Enterprise Solutions, Inc., a managed services provider offering mail, print, communications and back office solutions. Previously, Mr. Gupta Served as Vice President at Jason Industries from 2016 to 2017, where his responsibilities included cost take-out, supply chain and 80/20 optimization. From 2010 to 2012, he served as a strategy and business development manager at Solutia, Inc., (NYSE: SOA), a specialty materials and chemical manufacturer which was acquired by Eastman Chemical Company in 2012. Since 2018, Mr. Gupta has been a registered representative with Watermill Institutional Trading. Mr. Gupta brings a deep understanding of SPAC dynamics from formation, fund-raising and deal sourcing through execution as well as experience across a range of industries.

Anuraag Agarwal, who will serve as a Director upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, is Group Head of Business Development, Strategy and Mergers & Acquisitions at Future Group, a consumer-oriented conglomerate with interests in retail, consumer brands, food parks, manufacturing, logistics, data sciences, media, insurance and financial services, whose few public limited companies are listed on the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange in India. Mr. Agarwal has been actively involved in structuring, and overseeing Future Group’s international joint ventures, partnerships and alliances and is a member of the board of directors of some of its existing and former joint ventures and alliances, including those with The Migros Group in Switzerland, Hain Celestial, 7-Eleven, Inc. and Staples, Inc. in the United States, Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited in New Zealand and Clarks in the United Kingdom. He has also helped spearhead, directly and through board participation, various investment transactions of Future Group in the consumer and digital space. Additionally, since 2017, Mr. Agarwal has been the interim Chief Executive Officer of Amar Chitra Katha Private Limited, an Indian comic book company. Prior to joining Future Group in 2012, Mr. Agarwal was an investment banker focusing primarily on mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, private placements and principal investments, initially at Donaldson Lufkin and Jenrette and then for more than ten years at Berenson & Company, a boutique investment bank. During this time, he was actively involved in executing transactions of a variety of sizes across a wide range of industries including consumer goods, financial services, infrastructure, manufacturing, media, retail, utilities, and technology. Mr. Agarwal is well qualified to serve on our Board due to his significant financial, transactional and capital markets experience, particularly in the consumer products and retail industries, and his work with clients in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

John M. McMillin, who will serve as a Director upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, is a Limited Partner with Lord Abbett & Co., LLC, an independent, privately-held money management firm including mutual funds, institutional and managed accounts, a position he has held since October 2018. From 2007 to 2018, Mr. McMillin was a Partner, conducting equity research covering approximately 70 for large and mid-cap companies in the consumer staples sector in the United States. Mr. McMillin was also Managing Director and Senior Food Analyst at Prudential Equity Group and Prudential Securities from 1985 to 2007 where he was inducted into The Wall Street Journal “Best on the Street” Stock Picking Hall of Fame in 1996. From 1978 to 1980, Mr. McMillin worked in the securities industry at Sterling Grace & Co., and from 1981 to 1985 at Mabon Nugent, Philips, Appel & Walden. Mr. McMillin is well qualified to serve on our Board because of his significant financial and consumer staples industry expertise.

Desirée Rogers, who will serve as a Director upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, is the Chairman of Choose Chicago, the tourism agency for the city of Chicago, a position she has held since 2013. Since 2019, Ms. Rogers has also been the Chief Executive Officer of One Brown Girl, LLC. a holding company investing in minority-owned ventures. From 2010 to 2017, Ms. Rogers served as the Chief Executive Officer of Johnson Publishing Company, LLC, a publishing and cosmetics firm geared to the African American market. During the period from 2009 to 2010, Ms. Rogers was a Special Assistant to the President and Social Secretary for President Barack Obama. Prior to these roles, Ms. Rogers was the President of Allstate Financial Social Network, a personal lines property and casualty insurer from 2008 to 2009 and the President of Peoples Energy, the natural gas utility in Chicago from 2004 to 2008. Ms. Rogers has served on the boards of MDC Partners Inc. (NASDAQ: MDCA) and Inspired Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: INSE). She is a member of the board of directors for World Business Chicago, The Commercial Club, The Economic Club of Chicago, Donors Choose and Cradles to Crayons. In 2015, WWD named Ms. Rogers one of The 50 Most Influential People in the Multicultural Market. We believe Ms. Rogers is well qualified to serve on our Board because of her proven results-oriented business leadership and strong interpersonal, marketing and diplomatic skills.